Girl Troubles
by VGS2
Summary: To enter a female-only contest, Pikachu, his trainer, and his Unova friends find themselves dressing up as girls. Again. However, things turn interesting when a familiar face shows up...
1. Cross-dressing Capers

**Chapter 1****: **_Cross-dressing Capers_

* * *

Pikachu's trainer slumped his shoulders. "Well, this isn't good."

Confused, the yellow mouse read the same message on the contest hall's door. Afterwards, he wasn't confused for much longer. "...Pika."

The message said that, for the day, only female coordinators and their four pokémon (all female too, of course) were allowed to sign up, which went against all their plans for the day.

It also said that next week would be guys only, which would be way better for the duo, but... well, tomorrow, Pikachu and Ash would be going back on their journey to become pokémon masters. So no, it wasn't quite so good after all.

Darn it! This was the one day he and Ash felt like coordinating too, just for a little change of pace. But it looked like that wasn't going to happen after all. "Pika pikachu..."

After a second or two, Ash stopped looking disappointed and seemed more thoughtful, like he was cooking up an idea. "No, don't worry, buddy. I have a plan!" he said, snapping his fingers.

"...Pi?" Before the mouse could even take a guess, Ash was already diving into some of the thick bushes that adorned the path leading up to the Contest Hall. Not expecting it, Pikachu fell off of his trainer's shoulder and landed face down onto the grassy ground inside the foliage. It didn't hurt, but it was very... unmajestic to say the least.

Confused and annoyed, Pikachu looked up at his trainer to complain, though he stopped short once Ash pulled a frilly dress out of his bag. Now it made sense...

Ash looked his way and saw the mouse roll his eyes. "Hey, I'm not too happy about it either, but... hey. It's not like anyone will know about it, right? It'll be our secret."

Pikachu sighed. He wasn't entirely convinced of either the plan or his trainer's mental well being. "Pika, Pikapi..."

"C'mon, Pikachu. It's not like I'm asking you to dress up as a maid or anything like that. ...Again. Now, don't look for a second."

Pikachu turned around and poked his head out of the bush to give his trainer some privacy to cross-dress. Something that he found himself doing disturbingly often lately.

To keep occupied, he watched people enter the contest hall that the pair planned on entering themselves. He sure was glad he and Ash were entering this place and not the cooking competition that Cilan was probably at right now. Iris didn't mind going along with him, but Pikachu and Ash would have been seriously bored out of their skulls. Plus, they weren't allowed to taste any of the food...

Unlike May or Dawn, his trainer didn't really care about contest ribbons all that much, so this was all purely for fun. Knowing Ash, though, he would give it his all regardless, which was admirable. Pikachu would make sure he did his best too, girly trainer or none!

He continued to watch people and their pokémon go into the building. A few boys were also entering the building, but he got the feeling that they were just spectators. Either that or they were going to feel mighty disappointed...

After a while, he noticed that two frillish (along with their trainer) went inside at the same time, one blue and one pink. At first he didn't think too much about it, until he realised that his own species also had a gender difference, didn't it? Quite a big one, too.

He withdrew into the bush and took a look at the tip of his tail. Still as straight as the day he was born. Oh dear...

The only real way to fix this would be with surgery, and Pikachu didn't exactly want to go that far. Curse his odd species quirks! He didn't even remember seeing any pikachu girls in Kanto, so he wasn't aware of anything like that until he saw an advertisement in Sinnoh. He had even thought that the pikachu models injured their tails until Buizel corrected him.

Unless he and Ash could think of something, things were looking pretty bad. It was possible he would have to drop out of the competition and let his friends take over, which was disappointing...

"Okay, I'm finished!" Pikachu turned around to see Ash posing a little too proudly in his orange dress and blond wig, complete with a pretty pink bow on top. "How do I look?"

"Piika!" The mouse smiled and gave him a thumbs up. He was quite an attractive girl, everything considered!

...He tried not to let that thought linger for too long.

"Thanks, buddy! Well, we'd better let the team know what's going on." Ash looked down at the pokéballs attached to the belt around his dress. "...This should be fun."

Before Ash could let Pikachu's comrades out, the mouse tried to grab his attention. "Oh, what's wrong, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu, pika!" He pulled his tail out and showed it to Ash, waggling the tip for emphasis.

"...Um, is your tail hurt, or something?"

Pikachu sighed and tried to think of a way to explain. Eventually, he reached into the pockets of Ash's discarded pants to bring out a picture of a smiling, orange-haired girl the boy knew quite well from a long time ago.

"H-hey! D-don't go waving that around! That's... private."

"Pika pikachu, Pikapi!" He pointed at the tip of his tail with the photo to help him get a clue. It took several seconds, but eventually, Ash caught on.

"Oh right, girl pikachu are different to the boys, aren't they? Dang, I forgot. Hmm..." Ash stroked his chin.

Some pokémon on the team had a habit of making fun of Ash for being... simple, but Pikachu knew better. He could be pretty cunning when he wanted to be! Like the time he told Pikachu to attack a rhydon's horn, for instance. That was the only reason Pikachu won the battle, despite all odds, which added to the list of reasons as to why he trusted his trainer with his life.

Ash rummaged around in his backpack, looking for supplies. After a while his face lit up as he pulled out some yellow paper, tape, and some scissors. Pikachu didn't exactly know why he had those in his bag, but hey, he seemed to have an idea for them.

"Just a second, buddy..." Ash began to cut the paper and tape certain pieces together at a frantic pace. His main topic at school must have been arts and crafts, clearly!

"Hah, finished!" Ash taped his art-piece onto him and took a step back to admire his work. "Well, do you like it?"

Pikachu was expecting his trainer to tape a heart shape to his tail, or something. But he certainly didn't expect two large, smooth lumps on his chest. He was starting to see why everyone made fun of his trainer all the time.

"...Is something wrong with it?" asked his apparently perverted trainer, probably noticing the evil eye Pikachu was giving him.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu tore off his... costume, and tried his best to hold them to the end of his tail to form a little heart shape.

"...Ohhh, that's it, huh?" Ash scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Whoops, I guess the internet was wrong this time. Heh..." Pikachu didn't really want to ask.

After half a minute or so, Ash gently stuck his second attempt onto the mouse's tail. Taking a look at it, Pikachu was way more impressed this time around! He captured it almost perfectly, and even managed to make the colour match his fur too. He gave it a thumbs up! "Pika Pikapi!"

Ash clenched his fist victoriously. "Alright! Well then, that just leaves the other guys..." Ash examined his pokéballs. "Hmm, let's see... do you think any of them have any gender differences? I only have yellow paper, so I might need to be picky."

Pikachu shrugged. He had no idea, save for the obvious ones. Snivy was a girl, though, so he was sure that wouldn't be a problem at least. He pointed towards her ball.

"Hm? Oh, Snivy? Yeah... she's a girl, ain't she? Good thinking, buddy!" He unhooked her ball from his belt and opened it. "Come on out, Snivy!"

The second the white energy around her dissipated, Snivy looked around, probably wondering why they were inside a large bush. As soon as she looked at her trainer, though, she paused, with a very unreadable expression on her face.

"[...Do I even want to ask?]"

"[It's... kind of a long story,]" Pikachu replied, speaking the same language as her. Kind of.

"[And since when were you a girl? Is there something you're both not telling us?]"

He blushed and looked off to the side, noticing Ash watching them curiously in the process. "[Hey, i-it's not like that at all! We just want to get into a female only contest, so we had to improvise!]"

Snivy snickered loudly. "[A female contest, eh? Goodness me, the implications are so endless I don't even know which one to go with.]"

Pikachu began to wish that he had gone to the cooking contest instead. This was starting to remind him of the day they met their friend, Autumn...

"[I meant- I mean the contest is for...]" Completely flustered, he gave up. He got the feeling that no amount of explaining would help his case. "[...ugh, whatever! Do any pokémon on Ash's team have gender differences?]"

Snivy stopped snickering and started to think. "[Hmm... I don't think so. Though Scraggy and Krookodile are way too boyish to pass off as girls, if that's what your plan is.]"

"[Yeah, true enough. Okay then, thanks, Snive!]"

"[Don't mention it.]" Snivy smirked. "[I just love to help out a fellow girl in need.]"

Groaning, he walked past her and pointed to two of Ash's pokéballs. Specifically those of Leavanny and Oshawott, the least boisterous boys on the team. Ash not included.

"Oh, you think I should use those guys, huh?" His trainer unhooked them and looked them over. "Well, I don't see why not. Come on out, Oshawott and Leavanny!" he yelled, opening their pokéballs.

After they came out of their pokéballs, they turned around and were met with the same thing Snivy saw a few moments earlier. The two best of friends in drag.

"[...]"

"[...]"

"[...So, um-]" Pikachu didn't get any more words out before Leavanny giggled heavily and Oshawott burst out laughing. Both he and his trainer sighed. This day couldn't get any worse, could it?

* * *

"...And that's why, until the contest is over, you'll both be girls for the day!" Ash said with an awkward smile and a hesitant thumbs up, which Pikachu copied.

Leavanny looked surprisingly accepting of the situation, which was a nice contrast to the mortified otter lying in a foetal position next to him. Hoo boy...

"[_Nooo!_ My street cred! Now no girls will ever want to go out with me!]" Oshawott cried in a way that even Piplup would be proud of.

"[...So no real difference, then?]" Snivy remarked, snickering to herself.

Oshawott shot her a harsh glare which stopped the snickering, though her smirk remained.

Leavanny moved over and patted his head comfortingly. "[C'mon, Oshawott... Meloetta seemed to like you! I'm sure she would be happy to court you,]" he reassured.

"[Yeah, exactly. She seemed pretty open minded to me!]" Pikachu added.

Oshawott huffed. "[Like it matters... I haven't seen her for ages, so she clearly preferred... _him_.]" He let the bitterness hang in the air before looking downwards. "[...Not that I blame her. She probably looked into the future and saw me as a girrrrl!]" he wailed.

Leavanny looked confused. "[I... don't think Meloetta could see into the future, Oshawott.]"

"[But do you _know_ so!? She was psychic, so she probably sees all!]" Oshawott yelled melodramatically.

Snivy groaned. "[Oh, get a clue, Oshawott. She could barely register two crushes at once, let alone the future.]"

Pikachu nodded. "[Yeah. Anybody who can't see a crush as obvious as that probably wouldn't make a great fortune-teller,]" he said while chuckling. It really was true that the girl wasn't the brightest lanturn antenna when it came to romance. She was almost as bad as their trainer...

Oshawott sat up. "[I-I guess...]"

"[So yeah, she won't have a clue,]" Pikachu continued. "[Heck, nobody will know but us, and we won't tell a soul!]" Pikachu turned towards a certain grass snake and raised an eyebrow. "[...Right, Snivy?]"

"[Yeah, yeah, I won't either. I'm not _that_ cruel,]" replied Snivy, seeming sincere. "[...Don't let Emolga know, though, or you'll never hear the end of it.]"

Oshawott paused, seemingly thinking it over. Before too long, he pulled himself up and gave a weak smile. "[...Okay then. I'll... I'll do it. Thanks, guys.]"

Seeing everyone finally looking content, Ash piped in. "So, is everyone okay with the plan, then?"

His team gave a small cheer back in response. "Okay, cool! Then let's go! Oop, but first..." He reached for his two remaining pokéballs: the ones containing Scraggy and Krookodile. Oh hail no!

Almost straight away, Pikachu and Oshawott lunged forward and grabbed Ash's arm at the same time. The mouse knew that this would never end well, and he assumed Oshawott knew that too. If those two got out, the poor mouse would never be allowed to hear the end of it. Especially once Krookodile and Scraggy started telling everyone else back at camp!

Surprised, Ash gently pulled away. "What's the matter? You don't think I should let them watch?" he asked.

Both pokémon shook their heads frantically. "Pika! Pika pikachu!"

"Oshawott! Oshaaa!"

"Hmm..." their trainer murmured, looking thoughtful. After a little while, he nodded. "Yeah, maybe you're right. They can be pretty rough, huh?"

Oh thank the halls above! Both pokémon sighed in relief and gave a happy call in response.

Ash stood up. "Well in that case, let's go!" He parted open their secret shrub and held it open for Pikachu and his pals to scramble out of.

Everyone stepped outside into the warm sunshine, which Pikachu greatly appreciated. It wasn't all that dark inside the bush, but it still felt nice to be in the open air with the sun on his fur.

"Oh, wait a second, guys!" Everyone turned around to see Ash plucking some flowers out of the ground, which he then attached to their heads just for that extra girly touch.

Pikachu didn't really mind his new look. The blue flower really showed off his cute side! Leavanny seemed quite pleased with his red one too. It was more than he could say for his other companions, though...

Snivy looked more mildly irritated with her purple flower than anything, not appreciating the feminine gesture too much, and Oshawott looked physically ill to be wearing such a pretty pink thing, even with the reassurance from earlier. Heck, Pikachu was half afraid he would hurl!

"There, perfect! Now, follow me, guys! Um, girls!" Ash said as he marched on ahead.

The mouse and his friends followed him towards the contest hall, some more reluctantly than others.

* * *

After their trainer registered himself under his 'Ashley' alias, everyone was led into a waiting room which was packed with trainers and pokémon.

The atmosphere made Pikachu shudder with anticipation. This was going to be awesome! He was no contest expert, admittedly, but with all the tips and tricks given to him by his old friends, especially one in particular, he was sure he would make his trainer proud!

According to the receptionist who brought them into the room, his team didn't have long to wait until they were up. Their turn started after the next battle, which was already looking pretty heated judging by the television screen on the wall.

The set up for the competition was pretty informal from what Pikachu could tell, but it sounded fun enough. Each team would get randomly picked to square off against other randomly selected teams, and the team with the most wins by the end of the day would get the first place prize. Seemed basic enough.

The rules for the contest battles themselves were interesting, though. Both coordinators would send out one member of their four-pokémon team. After the pokémon chosen to move first (via a coin flip) showed off with a few fancy moves, the turn would shift to the opponent, who would have to one-up their opponent with their own stylish move that used elements from the opponent's previous move.

For example, if Pikachu used electricity on a fire left behind by the opponent's flamethrower to make a sparkly flame pillar, his opponent would have to... make it larger with more fire, maybe? Nah, that wouldn't work. The rules said that the move would have to be at least somewhat impressive, or they wouldn't pass. Turning a fire into a bigger fire with more fire was not very... well, fiery.

Anyway, both pokémon would keep taking turns until they were unable to come up with a way to outdo their opponent, which meant it was time to call out another pokémon, if any were left of course.

The rules sounded complicated as Pikachu ran by them in his head, but watching the screen, he worked it out easily enough. Not that it mattered, really. All he would have to do at the end of the day, as always, was follow Ash's orders. Now that was easy!

Speaking of the contest, the current match on the screen was pretty fun to watch! Each trainer was down to their last pokémon, an audino and a golurk. The audino just finished using her Attract move to blow many hearts into the air, which the golurk took advantage of by absorbing them into her jet engine... butt thing to make her normally red flames pretty and pink as she flew around the hall. It was impressive to watch!

...Did golurk even have genders? Pikachu seemed to remember reading that they didn't... Well, whatever. Pikachu wasn't exactly a girl himself, so he wasn't one to judge.

As Pikachu's mind continued to wander, something bumped into him and knocked him over! Ouch...

Whoever walked into him gasped, and scrambled over to help him back onto his feet. "[S-sorry! I didn't... I wasn't paying attention.]"

Pikachu was still dazed, but with the girl's help, he managed to get back onto his feet. "[Err, it's alright. I'm fine. I think...]"

Glancing at the girl who bumped into him, he saw a worried looking, brown-furred pokémon staring down at the ground and away from him, though his vision was too blurry from the fall to make out any details other than that.

"[Well, okay. That's good. Umm... bye then,]" she said before hopping away into a crowd of pokémon and out of his sight.

Well, that was weird. Pikachu didn't even get a proper chance to talk to the girl! She must have been real shy.

It was a shame, really. The girl's voice reminded him of a very good friend that left with Dawn's team a month or so ago. This girl seemed a lot more shy and soft-spoken than his extroverted rabbit pal ever was, though!

Speaking of her... he honestly missed Buneary a little. She could be a little clingy at times, sure, but her heart was always in the right place. Plus, she always knew how to perk him up! Even after that one time when Paul's team wiped the floor with him. Heck, he forgot he even had that broken toe once they got together!

Oh well... he would have to send her a letter or something soon. Knowing her, she would certainly enjoy it! For some reason, she always seemed to adore him like he was some kind of hero, even on the day they met! So just a little praise could make her go giddy.

Pikachu smiled nostalgically and decided to plan what he would write to her. He was content doing this until he noticed that the golurk's turn was out of time, signifying her loss.

Seconds later, a loudspeaker overhead buzzed loudly. "_Could challengers #14 and #64 please enter the challenging lobby? Thank you._"

Yes, it was time to show everyone their moves! Pikachu located Ash and jumped onto her- erhmm- **his** shoulder. Soon after, Oshawott jumped onto his other shoulder and the rest of the team followed closely behind him as they all entered the lobby.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Finished:** 31/07 (July)/2014

**Word count:** 3,410

**VGS2's pointless notes:** Fun fact, you guys! I've not watched a contest episode for a longass time, so this is all coming from a total poser. Just a fair warning to you all!

Welp, that's all I wanted to say. Oh, one last thing actually. Many thanks to ravengal for helping me make this chapter less horribad. You're da bes!

Alrighty, now I'm done! Tata for now!

* * *

**Next up:** The crazy contest begins!


	2. Beautiful Battles

**Quickie pointless note: **Wow, this was a super fast chapter update for me, wasn't it?  
Why's that? Well, to tell ya the truth, before I uploaded chapter 1, I was already looking to make sure chappie 2 was finished as well, adding a month or so to the upload time for both as I made sure they were simultaneously at an uploadable quality.

So why didn't I upload chapter 1 way earlier and just work on chappie 2 afterwards? Well, I just wanted to avoid another dead-cliffhanger situation by making sure I had two chapters ready to throw down back-to-back, just for you guys. So yeah, no more "Whoops, Pikachu got hit by a bike, The End, RIP In Peace, EL OH EL, etc" from now on.

On that note, chappie 3 might take a slightly longer while to upload than this one did, but I'll do my best to get it out sooner rather than later! Ah promise!

Also, thanks to the few sexy people who reviewed the last chappie. Ur da bes!

Ok then, and with that, let's go on with the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 2****: **_Beautiful Battles_

* * *

The team was directed up one of two flights of stairs and inside a murky room. Once inside, they were asked to stand on top of a platform. They did so.

After a while of waiting on top of Ash's shoulder, Pikachu got fed up and decided to look over the rest of the team to keep himself occupied.

He started by glancing at Ash, who seemed content enough to just stand there smiling to himself. He seemed just as excited as Pikachu was!

Looking over to his trainer's other shoulder, he could see that Oshawott seemed displeased about something. Pikachu guessed that he was still unsure about going into the competition as a girl.

He really hoped that the otter would be okay. The last thing they needed was him freaking out in the middle of a routine...

Peering downwards was uneventful, as Snivy was as unreadable as ever. She seemed comfortable enough, though, at least.

Looking at Leavanny, who stood next to Ash, Pikachu noted that he was nervously scanning the room. He could understand why, though; a long time ago while he was still a sewaddle, an incident involving a very cloudy day and an angry pansear left Leavanny with a small fear of the dark.

...Or so Pikachu heard, anyway. He didn't want to push for details on what he guessed was probably a painful subject for the poor pokémon, so he kept his curiosity to himself.

Looking down Ash's side, Pikachu could see Leavanny holding Ash's hand, which seemed to keep the caterpillar calm. His fear didn't seem too crippling when he was near friends, so it usually wasn't too bad, thankfully.

Suddenly, before the mouse could muse further, the floor unexpectedly came to life and rose into the air, carrying everyone along with it! However, before anyone could panic, the ceiling parted to make way for the rising platform, ending a few concerns. That didn't stop Pikachu's heart from beating at a new all time high, though. He thought it was a deathtrap made by Team Rocket, or something! Though it wasn't often they would spring a trap without announcing their presence, to be fair...

After a few seconds, the platform stopped next to an arena surrounded by seated spectators. On the other side of the hall, their opponents (a young girl in a dress along with her pokémon) could be seen rising up into place at the same time. How they looked so unfazed after being air-lifted with no warning, though, was anyone's guess. Pikachu and his pals were still trying to recover their lunches! Especially Oshawott and Leavanny, who were already antsy to begin with.

Well, it shook up all of the team except for Ash and Snivy, anyway. Ash had already been through this rising platform procedure before, so he was probably used to it, and Pikachu was pretty sure that Snivy was unaware of the emotion called 'fear', so her apathy wasn't much of a surprise.

Looking around, Pikachu noted that there were less spectators than he was used to seeing for a contest. That may have been for the best, though, because Oshawott looked like he was going to pass out any second!

He usually didn't mind large crowds, but this was his first time under the spotlight in drag, so it was understandable. That elevator ride probably didn't do wonders for his nerves either...

Pikachu decided to try and comfort Oshawott before he made a mess of Ash's shoulder. "[Hey, Osha?]"

"[Y-y-yeah?]" the shivering otter asked.

"[Try to calm down! Remember, nobody here knows who you are except for us, okay?]"

Oshawott took a deep breath and smiled feebly. "[Y-yeah...]"

Snivy looked up at him. "[You're the manliest girl here, if it helps,]" she added, probably not including herself in that statement. Or Pikachu for that matter, the mouse decided.

Oshawott chuckled lightly. "[Heh, thanks...]"

Their words seemed to help because he stopped shivering afterwards. He still looked a little unsure, but it was an improvement.

A lady in the middle of the room (most likely the host) spoke through a microphone, catching Pikachu's attention. "_Now everyone, put your hands together for our coordinator newcomers... Jamie Inutile and Ashley Traydem!_" The crowd applauded in response before the host spoke up again. "_Okay, coordinators! Pick your first pokémon!_"

Ash stroked his chin. "Okay, lemmie see..."

Pikachu jumped off his shoulder with Oshawott in tow and fell in line with the rest of their team. Afterwards, their trainer looked back and forth between them all contemplatively. He looked over at Oshawott in silent consideration, though Pikachu wasn't sure if choosing him would be a good idea. He still seemed jittery about performing in public as a girl, so there's no way that would end well...

Before Ash could say anything, though, Snivy rolled her eyes and stepped forward.

"Oh, you wanna try first, huh? Well sure, let's go!" Ash said as he moved into position, no less excited than before.

Snivy began to walk out into the arena, but not before looking back towards Oshawott. "[...You'll be fine, Oshawott, so relax, yeah?]"

After a moment of stunned silence, Oshawott did a very quick and goofy salute. "[Y-yes, sir! Er, ma'am!]"

She smirked. "[Heh, good. Now if you'll excuse me...]" The snake calmly walked over to the contest arena.

Pikachu was pretty amazed. It wasn't often Snivy would openly show so much concern! Oshawott must have known this too; he had a silly grin on his face, all worries gone for the time being.

Leavanny smiled. "[It sure looks like Snivy believes in you, Oshawott.]"

Pikachu nodded. "[Totally! So yeah, don't worry about it, Osha. If Snivy of all mons believes in you, then you have nothing to fear!]" he said, patting his friend on the back.

Oshawott thought about it for a second, and then nodded. "[...You're right. Yeah, even with this flower on my head, I can still be a manly contest man!]" he proclaimed while posing proudly.

Both of his friends gave him a small cheer. However, they didn't have long to praise his newfound confidence before the lights in the hall dimmed, save for the spotlights that focused on the arena. The contest battle was about to begin!

"[Well, it's go time! Let's go and see how she does,]" Pikachu said as he started towards the area where they'd be watching. Everyone nodded and followed him.

Leavanny trembled slightly. "[Ohh, must they make it so dark out here?]"

"[Don't worry, Leavanny,]" Pikachu reassured, "[If you give it a little while, your eyes will adjust to it, then it won't seem so dark anymore.]"

"[Yeah, and we'll be here for ya too!]" Oshawott added.

Leavanny exhaled gently and smiled. "[Y-yes, you're right. Thank you, friends...]"

Pikachu returned the smile, seeing that he had calmed down, and then shifted his attention towards the arena to see the coin being flipped...

* * *

"[Best of luck, Oshawott!]" Pikachu yelled, believing in his friend who was currently in the arena. They were so close to winning, and it was all down to him!

This was their team's fifth match of the day, and they were doing superbly! They hadn't lost a single match so far, all thanks to Ash's brilliant coordinating and the team's excellent skills! Pikachu's included, naturally.

...Plus, while none of them were bad, the contestants here weren't all that great either, if Pikachu had to be absolutely honest... but he decided not to think about that too much. Besides, even if everyone here was a pro, Team Traydem would still be way out in front!

However, their current opponent (a... broad, blond girl in pigtails called Jackie) was pretty tough. Her team of pretty, pink pokémon gave them a lot of trouble, especially that one clefairy... She had beaten Pikachu with a well-timed Water Pulse to his electrical Iron Tail. How was he supposed to compete with the flying, dazzling water hoops it created!? Unlike everyone else, this girl and her pokémon certainly had some experience, no doubt about it.

Thankfully, in the round afterwards, Snivy had managed to beat her by taking advantage of the clefairy's use of Flamethrower on her Leaf Storm. All she'd had to do was blow a few Attract hearts into the inferno to turn it into a flaming, pink tornado of loving death. It was really awesome! Though Oshawott's jokes about 'heartburn' weren't. Pikachu's throat was still sore from all the groaning he did after hearing them...

Either way, Snivy's moves were no match for the girl in the next round. The lickitung had combined Snivy's leaves with her own Blizzard attack to make a big, leafy snowman!

Leavanny hadn't fared much better, either. He had tried using Razor Leaf to slice up his own String Shot, which made lots of impressive looking stringy paper dolls. However, the lickitung had simply eaten them all with Lick before spitting out a much larger origami sculpture, earning herself a win as Leavanny had no decent way to counter it, despite how gross it was.

That lickitung in the arena really meant business... but no matter. Oshawott could pull this off! All throughout the contest he'd been doing nothing short of amazing, once he had become used to all the eyes focused on him anyway.

The host flipped her coin which then landed heads-up, revealing that the lickitung was the first to make a move in this round. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though. It usually meant that the second pokémon had something to work with when it was their turn to move.

That being said, there was one point in the contest when Leavanny had managed to win against a granbull almost as soon as the round began. Everyone had burst out laughing at that point, even the usually stoic Snivy, which really said something.

After putting her coin away, the host made her way off the stage, grabbed her mic, and yelled, "_Okay, begin!_"

It was time!

"Licki! Make a tower with Rock Tomb and Blizzard!" the rival coordinator, Jackie, cried out.

The lickitung (apparently called Licki) smacked the floor with her tongue, causing a large, rocky tower to burst out of the ground, despite the lack of any soil. Afterwards, she shot a large gale of snow out of her mouth to engulf it, creating a giant pillar of snowy rock.

Once Licki was finished, the host spoke through her microphone. "_Wow, not a bad start, folks! Can Ashley top that? Let's find out!_" The spotlights focused themselves onto Oshawott's side of the field, signifying that it was his turn.

The host was right; not a bad start indeed. Nothing that Ash and Osha couldn't deal with, though!

"Oshawott, slice it up into something pretty!" Ash yelled, full of his usual zest. Well, as zesty as he could be with a feminine voice, anyway.

With a cocky grin on his face, Oshawott turned back and nodded. The otter clearly had a plan up his furry sleeve, and Pikachu couldn't wait to see it!

True to form, Oshawott was already slicing away at the icy rock formation with his Razor Shell, his movements so rapid that one could almost mistake him for a ninja!

His moves made short work of the tower, and yet he still wasn't finished! After a few more quick swipes, he stopped, studied the giant formation for a few seconds, and then threw his shell towards the tower like a disc. His attack sliced off part of the tower and then returned like a boomerang, taking off another chunk of rock on the return back to its owner, who caught it perfectly before sticking it back on his chest.

The spotlights then focused onto the giant statue left behind, which consisted of his entire team performing various poses atop Ash's shoulders in a tower formation, ending with Snivy holding up a heart. Pretty subtle...

Despite that, Pikachu had to admit... that was pretty darn impressive. He didn't exactly approve of his caricature being at the bottom, holding up Ash and the gang, but he had to give credit where it was due.

He wasn't the only one who thought highly of it either, because not too long afterwards, the entire hall burst into applause with many people and pokémon alike chanting Oshawott's name.

"_Wow, folks! Yet another great move by the otter of wonders! Is there anything she can't do!?_" the host yelled.

Even Ash seemed pretty speechless, and he was the one who had given the cutting order! His team seemed to be enjoying the spectacle too. Especially Snivy, who was obviously touched by the otter's odd but cute gesture of putting her on the top.

All that being said, Pikachu couldn't help but notice that the coordinator on the other side wasn't impressed at all. In fact, she was smiling smugly! That couldn't be good.

"Licki, use Brick Break to fix it!" Jackie yelled, performing a karate chop for emphasis.

Pikachu didn't get it. 'Fix' it? It already looked good to him! Despite that, her pokémon nodded, spun around twice, and then slammed her tongue into an unfortunate place on Pikachu's portion of the statue, making the poor mouse wince.

The entire statue shuddered a few times before key chunks of it fell off. Suddenly, everyone on the statue had goofy faces! Even Pikachu's face now looked like some kind of dorky plumber with a mustache, a large nose, and an L on his forehead. It looked very silly indeed, and Pikachu didn't approve. Especially when most of the spectators began to laugh...

Well, the ones who weren't busy booing, anyway. Pikachu sighed. Nobody booed when the mouse had slipped on that one totodile's Water Gun puddle earlier in the contest...

Trying to ignore his own jealousy, Pikachu looked over at Osha and could already tell that he was steaming mad. He wasn't sure if it was because Licki somehow gave Snivy a mustache, or because she made Osha's face look like his rear end, but one thing was for certain: he wasn't pleased.

_"Ohhh, a controversial move to say the least, folks!_" the host said over her microphone. "_Still, it was an impressive one too, so the ball is now in Jackie's park! Let's see if Ashley can get it back!"_ The lights shifted back from Licki to Oshawott. Heck yeah they were gonna get it back!

Sure enough, after a few seconds of thought, Ash yelled out his next instruction. "Oshawott, drill into the top of the statue with Aqua Jet and Razor Shell!"

The otter nodded and then rapidly jumped up the statue, using the carvings as footholds. Once he was at the top, he used Aqua Jet to boost into the air before coming down again shell-first and spinning like a drill.

Before too long, he found himself buried inside the structure. Pikachu couldn't tell how far in he was, but he wasn't visible anymore, so it must have been deep.

A few moments later, Ash yelled out his next instruction. "Now use Hydro Pump upwards!"

Seconds later, water erupted from the top of the sculpture as expected. However, because of the sculpture's materials, the water spout was also filled with a flurry of sparkling ice and crumbled rocks, creating a very shiny, checkered fountain. It was like a liquid chessboard was pouring out of the statue!

Needless to say, the crowd went wild again. Heck, Pikachu could swear that the amount of spectators in the hall had tripled since last time he had looked! Just how popular was this otter!?

"[Jealous much, Pikachu?]" Snivy asked.

"[Ah! How'd you know?]" Pikachu asked, surprised that she had figured him out.

"[I could hear your teeth grinding from over here,]" she explained. "[You're not very subtle at all, are you?]"

Embarrassed, Pikachu chuckled. "[Yeah, I guess I'm not, am I?]" He shuffled his feet. "[Well, I'm trying not to be too jealous. I mean, I am happy for him after all, but jeez, have you seen him today? He's amazing! It's no wonder he's getting so popular...]"

"[You're certainly not wrong,]" Leavanny added, joining in the conversation. "[I don't think he has lost a single routine today. It's rather impressive.]"

"[Aren't you jealous at all?]"

Leavanny shrugged. "[Not really. I'm having fun, so that's all that matters!]"

Pikachu chuckled. "[Guess I can't argue with that. Yeah, I should start enjoying myself more. I'm just being way too jealous...]"

"[Yes, you are,]" Snivy said bluntly. "[For what it's worth, though, I can see why. I don't think he's ever been so impressive before...]"

Noticing her trailing off in an almost dreamy way, Pikachu thought of something and smirked. "[Say, Snivy?]"

"[Hm?]"

"[What's with all the blushing?]"

Her eyes widened in shock. "[Huh, what!? No, I'm-]" She paused and collected herself. "[...I'm not. Whatever gave you that dumb idea?]"

Pikachu sniggered mischievously. "[Yeah, you're right, I was just kidding. You are now, though! Hehe!]"

He wasn't wrong, either; her cheeks were starting to look more like his. Realizing she had been tricked, the snake faced away and frowned. "[Oh, ha ha. Such comedy gold...]" she grumbled.

Leavanny giggled. "[Oh, how naughty! Taking advantage of a girl's feelings like that for a prank. Shame on you, Pikachu.]"

Snivy gave them a sideways glance. "[Feelings? Ugh...]" she said, turning her nose up at them. "[You're both almost as bloody delusional as the idiot himself.]"

"[Sorry, Snive,]" Pikachu said, holding back a chuckle, "[I've always wanted to use that on someone. I would have so used it on Ash years ago if he could understand me.]"

She let out an undignified "[Hmph,]" and said nothing further.

"[It's not like there's anything wrong with it or anything, though,]" Pikachu reassured, noticing her declining mood. "[You're allowed to like whoever you want.]"

"[Yes, you shouldn't be embarrassed,]" Leavanny added. "[Love is something to be cherished and shared~]"

"[Will you both shut up before someone hears you?]" Snivy growled, looking around.

"[But your feelings-!]" Leavanny tried to interject before Snivy slapped a vine over his mouth.

"[Hush. I have no feelings for _anyone_, especially the otter, okay? So just... hush,]" she said darkly, slowly retracting the vine. "[I hate it when people spread baseless rumors.]"

Leavanny broke out into a cold sweat. "[O-okay then, sorry Snivy. P-please don't be mad.]"

Despite the scolding, Pikachu couldn't help but grin amusedly. Man, what a stubborn woman that snake was. Why wouldn't she admit her feelings? Wasn't that what most people and pokémon did when they had a crush on someone? Well, not that Pikachu would really know, admittedly. He was nowhere near as hopeless as his trainer (not that it was saying much), but due to his only real exposure to romance being Brock's antics, his knowledge on it was... iffy, at best. Still, if he had a crush on a girl, he would totally let her know...

...But not in the same way Brock would, oh gosh no. If he acted like that, even Buneary, his own hero worshipper, would have run for the hills...

"[Hey, guys!]" Oshawott yelled nearby, snapping Pikachu out of his thoughts.

"[Oh, hello, Oshawott! You're back!]" Leavanny said in greeting.

"[Hey. Did we win?]" Snivy asked, getting straight to the point.

Oshawott posed proudly. "[You bet! I had it in the bag the whole time!]" he said, earning a small cheer from the group in response.

"[Wow, awesome! What happened?]" Pikachu asked eagerly. "[We were talking about... er, stuff, so we missed the finale.]"

"[Oh, not much. She tried to lick my statue again, but then-]" Oshawott tried to hold back his giggles, "[-her tongue froze to it!]" he finished, finally letting his laughter burst out.

Everyone joined in with his laughter. Even Snivy, who snuck a chuckle in.

"[I'm surprised they didn't just freeze the water. What dolts,]" she said, smirking afterwards. "[Not that it matters. Even if they did, I get the feeling you'd make something of it anyway.]"

"[Darn straight! Oshawott's number one, baby!]" the otter in question humbly bellowed. "[Say, what stuff were you guys talking about anyway?]"

"[...Umm.]" Pikachu glanced to the side and saw Snivy watching him carefully. "[...About how well you did out there, of course!]" He grinned sheepishly.

Oshawott shrugged. "[Fair enough. I am pretty cool, after all.]"

Pikachu nodded, deciding that stroking Osha's ego was better than being whipped by the now-relieved snake next to him...

"Great job, you guys!" Ash said, walking towards them. "You were awesome out there!" Pikachu and the team cheered back in response. "Now, let's all go down and-"

"_Oh, well look at that, folks,_" the host shouted through her mic, interrupting Ash, "_it seems Ashley's up again due to popular demand!_" Hearing this, the crowd burst into applause.

"Ah, cool! Well, I guess we don't have to go down after all," said an amused Ash. "Let's go, guys!" Everyone on the team shrugged and moved back into position.

It was taking some time for the competition's elevator to lift them up, so Pikachu decided to strike up a conversation. "[So... Osha?]"

"[Yeah, Pikachu?]" the otter asked, turning to face him.

"[What was the deal with the whole heart thing on your statue? I'm curious.]"

"[Well... I dunno, I thought I might get some bonus points with the ladies, or something. Girls like cute!]"

Pikachu smirked. "[Especially the girl who was holding the heart, eh?]"

Oshawott blushed slightly. "[Aha, well y'know... she made the statue look prettier because of her... feminine charm, and stuff.]"

"[Hehe, so subtle, Oshawott.]"

"[Q-quiet, you! I like all sorts of girls, not just _her_!]" the otter barked.

"[Hmph. Charming...]" Snivy grumbled, apparently within earshot. Oshawott didn't seem to hear her, though.

Pikachu shook his head sadly. "[Tsk. That's nothing to be proud of, Osha. Girls like dedication!]"

"[But it's masculine to be a girl magnet!]" Oshawott argued.

"[Then you've clearly failed at that,]" Snivy replied, irritably. "[The only kind of girl magnet you are is one that repels.]"

Oshawott looked offended at Snivy's admittedly sick burn. "[Hey, that's not true! I could get any girl I want!]"

"[Except for any with working brains...]" Snivy retorted.

The otter was about to keep the argument going, but Pikachu stepped in. "[Guys, guys, please! There's no need to fall out over such silly things!]"

Oshawott looked shocked. "[Silly things!? Matters of the heart are not silly things!]"

Snivy huffed. "[He says when he chases down anything and everything he can breed with.]"

Oshawott turned to face her again, now red in the face. "[What!? That's not true at all! I don't chase _you_ down, do I?]"

"[Oh, please.]" She turned her nose up at him. "[That's only because I told you to sod off the first time you tried.]"

Their argument continued, but Pikachu simply sighed and gave up, mentally tuning them out. Once they got going like this, there was no stopping them until they made up on their own. Besides, arguments like this were common for them anyway, thanks to Oshawott's playmon attitude and Snivy's stubborn nature, so it wasn't anything new.

Pikachu was really glad he didn't have a relationship like that with anyone. It sounded very tiring... He would rather get together with someone he could get along with. Someone kind, and funny, and relatable, and... Man, dressing up as a girl was really bringing out his inner-romanticist today, wasn't it?

Deciding to direct his attention elsewhere, lest he start thinking like Brock, he struck up a conversation with the caterpillar sitting down beside him. "[So, how're you holding up, Leavanny?]"

"[Very well, thank you! I sure hope we do well in the next match,]" he replied.

"[Oh, don't worry, we will,"] Pikachu said, triumphantly clenching his fist. "[Nobody here can stop Team Traydem!]"

Leavanny giggled. "[We'll see! Don't become too overconfident, though. You never know when the next expert could be around the corner. That's what Mommy always told me back in Pinwheel.]"

"[Heh, yeah, I guess you're right. Well, either way, let's give it our best!]"

Leavanny moved his mouth to reply, but a loud gasp from Ash stopped him. Looking over at their trainer, they saw him staring at the opposition's side with a shocked expression on his face.

"No way..." he muttered to himself in surprise.

"[Oh, what's wrong with Ash?]" Leavanny asked, worried.

"[I don't know,]" Pikachu replied, looking over at the opponent's side to see what was troubling their trainer.

They were a bit too far away for specific details, especially with the dim lighting on their side, but he could make out a blue haired girl in a pink dress, along with various pokémon shapes behind her.

He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so he turned towards Leavanny again. "[Do you see anything wrong with those guys over there, Leaf?]" he asked, pointing towards them.

The caterpillar squinted hard at them. "[Umm... I don't think so? I suppose she has a piplup, but that is all I can see.]"

A piplup? Pikachu looked towards them again. After a little searching, he saw what Leavanny meant. On the girl's shoulder was a piplup, barely hidden behind one of her curly ponytails.

Pikachu scratched his ear in thought. A blue haired girl who owns a piplup? Huh, that almost sounded like... Nah, that wouldn't make any sense. She had left for Johto only a month or so ago, didn't she?

While Pikachu was pondering, Leavanny stood up and tugged at Ash's sleeve.

"Leavanny?" the bug-type asked, being unintelligible to their trainer.

"Oh, don't worry, Leavanny. It's just... I think I recognize the trainer over there," he explained, interesting Pikachu.

"Lee Leavanny?" the caterpillar enquired, curious.

"Well, do you remember Da-"

Before he could finish, the host's voice blared through the loudspeakers, cutting him off. "_Here we are, folks! We've saved the best for last! Please put your hands together for Oshawott and her trainer, Ashley Traydem-_" the crowd cheered, though whether it was for Ash and the team or just Oshawott, Pikachu couldn't tell... "_-and their opponent, the fabulous Dawn Ray!_"

Pikachu's jaw dropped open. "[...WHAT!?]"

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Finished:** 10/11 (August)/2014

**Word count: **4,353

**Edits:** (Made Pikachu a bit less of a jerk, fixed a buggerload of grammar, and added several more extra bells and whistles)

**VGS2's pointless notes: **Aww ship, son! The plot thickens! What can this mean for our cross-dressing heroes? Find out next time!

On another note, that super awkward moment when it turns out that canon Leavanny's perfectly fine in the dark. Lel

Why did I add that bit of fan-trivia, anyway? Well, let's all be fair: personality-wise, most of the side characters in pokémon are as flat as a stunfisk. Heck, even the main ones usually are! So hey, may as well give some of them a little bit more depth.

Besides, it makes the grassy dude seem slightly cuter, doesn't it? On another note, I might have something planned for it too... but we'll see!

By the way, at the risk of sounding egotistical, if ever you decide to add Leavanny to one of your fics for some reason, feel free to add that character quirk if you wish. I won't mind!  
Unless of course I'm a derp-head and it goes against all canon, which wouldn't surprise me at this point, honestly. Fufufu!

Also, on that note, if Dawn Ray turns into the next May Maple, then I'm turning this fic around and we're driving home, I swear to Helix.  
Hehe ok, not really, but still, I will be horribly confused. I pretty much pulled it outta my behind! And it's the worst name anyone could come up with for Dawn, so why would anybody even...

**Shameless self-promotion:** Oh, also, any faves, follows and reviews would be greatly appreciated, thank you! (Though feel free to lurk if you want! Your life, your rules!)

Welp, and with that, I'm off. Tata for now, guys!

* * *

**Next up:** Dawning comprehension...


	3. Shocking Surprise

Made in the loving memory of Solid Snake, Lucas, Wolf O'Donnel, Ivysaur, Squirtle and the Ice Climbers. (But not Pokémon Trainer Red, screw him)

**RIP In Peace**

* * *

**Last time on Girl Troubles...**

Ash: "Let's dress up as women to enter a random contest!"

Pikachu: "Okie dokie!"

{Later}

*A WILD DAWN RAY APPEARED*

Pikachu: "What is life!?"

* * *

**Chapter 3****: **_Shocking Surprise_

* * *

No way... it was impossible! How could Dawn be here!? Johto was regions away from Unova, so why would she return after only being away for a month!?

Did she return to take part in the contest? But it was only a tournament for fun, not for glory! Why would she return just to have a bunch of casual contest battles with no ribbons for prizes? Unless she wanted to see Ash and the gang again, of course... though even that would be odd. Ash's friends rarely visited more than once, let alone in just a few months.

No... it must have been a coincidence, Pikachu assured himself. After all, there were many Dawns in the world! Besides, the one he knew didn't even have a second name, did she? Nobody had ever mentioned one to the mouse, anyway...

Pikachu took an even closer look at the team opposite theirs for clarification. As he noted before, the coordinator was a blue haired girl in a pink dress with a piplup on her shoulder. That wasn't enough, though; there could be thousands of people who fit that description! Though Pikachu had to admit, the dress did look awfully familiar, even from this distance.

Some of her other pokémon moved into view, so Pikachu decided to study them too. The first ones to emerge were a quilava and a togekiss, who walked up to their trainer's side. They were both pokémon that Sinnoh Dawn also owned, so it added credence to the 'this is the Dawn I know' theory.

A pachirisu also scurried out from underneath the coordinator. The Dawn from Sinnoh had one of those as well, but Pikachu was confused; wasn't her pachirisu a dude? Then again, nobody had ever mentioned his gender before, so the mouse wasn't really sure, admittedly...

Pikachu couldn't see Mamoswine anywhere, though that made sense. Fitting him into the hall would have been a nightmare and a half due to how massive he was.

Yes, it was looking more and more like the real Dawn... though there was still a little bit of doubt in the mouse's mind. Where was Buneary? That bouncy bunny was the star of the team! And she always stood out in crowds...

A few moments later, all questions were answered when a pretty head poked its way through the team. There was no mistaking it, this was her! She was even wearing her classic orange vest, as if to erase any lingering doubt in the mouse's mind.

Pikachu's eyes widened. It really was _the_ Dawn...

Despite how confusing this all was, Pikachu couldn't help but smile widely. This was awesome! He loved spending time with Dawn and her team, so he couldn't wait to catch up with them again! He was sure they would have a lot to talk about.

Before he could continue gushing, a scary thought came to the mouse's mind. Pikachu and his pals may have been flawless winners in this contest so far, but even he had to admit that they were in way over their heads here. Dawn and her team were some of the best contest battlers Pikachu knew, and they were the competition for the next match! That didn't bode well at all...

Still... he had to have faith in Ash, himself, and the rest of the team. If they did their very best, they would pull through, just like always!

As Pikachu was thinking to himself, the host's voice started blaring through the speakers. _"Before the fight of a lifetime can begin, however, we will be having a five or so minute break to clean up the stage._" The audience groaned in response. "_Yeah, we know, we know. The wait is killing us, too! But don't worry, after you're finished buying some snacks or a souvenir, the time will just fly by, I'm sure! So please, stay tuned!_"

After she finished speaking, the crowd slowly cleared out while several janitors went onto the arena with their pokémon.

Pikachu thanked his lucky stars. This was perfect! It gave him just enough time to prepare everyone for the oncoming storm that was Dawn.

The mouse looked towards Ash and saw him speaking to Leavanny, who was listening intently. Judging by the caterpillar's look of excitement, Pikachu guessed that Ash was explaining exactly who the opposite side was.

Looking over to his other companions, Pikachu saw Snivy and Oshawott with their backs angrily turned to one another and their arms crossed. It seemed that they were still salty about their earlier argument.

This was normal for their disputes, though Pikachu liked to think of this stage as their version of cuddling. It was probably the closest they would ever get from each other, anyway...

This part of their arguments didn't usually last more than ten minutes before one of them apologized, but they didn't have time for that! As soon as the break was over, it was show time!

Deciding that they'd had enough time to seethe, Pikachu grasped Oshawott's paw and gently pulled him away, hoping to speak to him in an area with a less moody atmosphere.

Not expecting the sudden movement, however, Snivy stumbled and ungracefully toppled over. "[Ah!]"

Seeing Snivy on her back, Oshawott angrily broke away from Pikachu's hold. "[H-_hey_, what's the big idea, Pikachu!?]" he yelled, moving over to help the snake up.

Embarrassed, Pikachu scratched the back of his head. "[Oh um, eheh, sorry, Snivy. I didn't know you were both leaning against each other like that...]"

Oshawott offered a helping paw to Snivy, which she rejected. "[Ugh, I've lost enough dignity for one day, thank you very much. I can-]" Snivy jumped back up onto her feet, "[-handle myself.]"

The otter went back to crossing his arms in irritation. "[_Hmmph_! Fine then...]"

Snivy sighed, but then smirked afterwards. "[...But your kindness is appreciated, so thanks, Wott.]"

They were onto affectionate nicknames now? Even after their massive argument from earlier? Wow... Pikachu wondered if he should try pulling them apart more often.

Not expecting the sudden compassion, Oshawott became flustered. "[O-oh, well, y'know... chivalry should be the first priority of every man, so don't mention it!]" he boasted, posing proudly.

Snivy smiled. "[Heh...]" Her smile quickly changed into a glare as she turned to face Pikachu. "[More than what can be said for you, though. What's your game?]"

"[Er, sorry about that, but there's something you both need to see. Urgently,]" Pikachu explained.

Oshawott frowned. "[What's so urgent that you had to drag me away from our important debate?]"

"[Well... do you see anything strange with the team over there?]" Pikachu asked, pointing towards Dawn's team.

The unlikely couple stopped scowling at the mouse and looked towards the opposition.

After a few seconds, Oshawott spoke up. "[Umm... no? What's up with 'em?]"

"[Yeah, I can't say I see where you're coming from either, Pikachu,]" Snivy added.

"[Take a look at her piplup and you'll see what I mean,]" Pikachu said, pointing towards Dawn's occupied shoulder.

Oshawott took a long, hard look at the penguin. After a few seconds, his face dropped in horror. "[A-are you serious!? Is that... oh Legends above, it is!]"

Pikachu thought that might work; Piplup was still a bit of a sore spot for the otter. Even after they 'made up', Oshawott would sometimes refer to him like he was some kind of mortal rival.

Snivy raised an eyebrow at Oshawott. "[What? Are we up against some celebrities, or something?]"

Oshawott jumped in front of her melodramatically, his face filled with panic. "[Don't you understand, woman!? It's Dawn! And she's brought... _**him**_!]"

Snivy rolled her eyes. "[Pft, Dawn? That's ludicrous, Oshawott. Nobody drops everything they're doing in another region just to come over to a contest for little girls.]"

"[He's actually right, y'know,]" Pikachu interjected. "[I don't know why, but it looks like Dawn's back.]"

"[Really now? What makes you so sure? Is it just because she has a piplup who may or may not be Oshawott's boyfriend?]"

"[_Heyy_!]" yelled Oshawott, red in the face.

"[I looked at her team, and almost all of her pokémon are there. Even Buneary,]" Pikachu explained, "[and trust me, I'd recognize her anywhere. So yeah, there's no doubt about it: it's Dawn.]"

"[Truly? Huh, how odd...]" Snivy said, knitting her brows. "[In that case, didn't you once say that Dawn was an expert at contest battling? If so, that's cause for concern.]"

Pikachu nodded. "[Yeah. That's why I wanted to get your attention. We need to be prepared!]"

Oshawott began to hyperventilate. "[Oh nonono, this is _terrible_! Gah, what if he sees through my disguise when we're battling? Aww man, he's gonna tell everyone, and then I'll have to-]"

"[Hey, cool it, Osha!]" Pikachu said, patting the panicking pokémon's shoulder. "[As long as we play along and keep up our disguises, it'll all be fine. Trust me!]"

"[But, but, but-]" The otter's arguments were in vain as Snivy quickly covered his mouth with her hand.

"[Close your eyes, count to ten, relax, and then let's try this again, okay?]" the snake asked, looking him in the eyes. After a few seconds, he nodded slowly and closed his eyes in response, allowing Snivy to withdraw her hand.

Pikachu was starting to think that it might have been a bad idea telling Oshawott about Dawn. He had no idea the guy would react so badly... though it should have been obvious, thinking back on it.

Still, it was a way better option than letting him find out on his own, especially halfway through a routine. That would've been chaotic...

Oh well, at least Snivy was here. Her tough love could calm Oshawott down way more than Pikachu could alone. He just hoped that she could patch things up before the break was over and the hall filled up again.

To occupy himself until their ten seconds were up, Pikachu looked over at Dawn's side of the field. He could see that Dawn was reading something as her team talked amongst themselves.

He couldn't help but notice that two members of the team weren't joining in any conversations, however. Buneary seemed to prefer staring off into the distance at nothing in particular, while Piplup was silently looking towards Oshawott and Snivy, probably wondering what all the commotion was abou- ...Was he wearing an Oshawott bobble hat!?

Since when was the hall selling Oshagirl memorabilia? It wasn't any plain, old oshawott hat either; it was clearly based on the one in Pikachu's team, complete with the pink flower and everything.

That lucky dog. Pikachu had always wanted to be on some merchandise along with Ash... and Osha had some already! However, knowing that guy and his extreme paranoia about his masculinity, Pikachu guessed that they wouldn't be sharing the same sentiments.

On that note, Pikachu wisely decided not to point out Piplup's new hat, which was thankfully obscured by Dawn's ponytailed hair. If he did, he got the feeling that someone would have to try some CPR on the poor otter afterwards. Though with that being said, Snivy probably wouldn't mind trying it out...

Speaking of those two, it seemed like the ten seconds were up, as their watery friend's eyes snapped open.

"[Alright, are you calm now?]" Snivy asked.

Oshawott smiled feebly. "[Yeah... I think so.]"

"[Okay, good. Now listen, we're basically strangers to these people, so we just need to act like strangers and then we'll be fine. None of them joined to see you cross-dress, or whatever.]"

"[I guess... but that penguin's the best contester on the team! Do we even stand a chance?]"

Pikachu shook his head. "[He's a guy, remember? I'm guessing he's just there to watch, so we'll be...]" Pikachu trailed off as he remembered something. Piplup may not have been competing this time, but Buneary was! And she was just as good, if not better when it came to contests.

She was energetic, skilled, and very passionate about contest battling. Not to mention her almost perfect precision when it came to using her ice abilities. She was an amazing pokémon with an amazing coordinator to match... Oh dear.

"[W-what's wrong?]" Oshawott asked, worriedly.

After a few seconds of thought, Pikachu shook his head again. "[Nothing, Osha. They're tough, but so are we! We just need to do our best!]" he said, pumping his fist triumphantly.

"[That's right. And even so-]" Snivy interjected, "[-our team has one of the most competent pokémon this hall's seen in a long time.]"

Hearing that, Oshawott gave a massive grin. "[Yeah, you're right! Nothing can stop my manliness! Not even Piplup and his team of evil!]"

Pikachu's ears drooped. "[Umm, I have friends on that team, you know...]"

"[Err... mild evil!] " Oshawott corrected.

Pikachu rolled his eyes and nodded in agreement. Mild agreement.

"[Hello, friends~]"

The small group looked towards the source of the greeting to see Leavanny waving towards them happily, which earned him some greetings back.

"[Ooh, you'll never guess what Ash just told me~!]" the caterpillar said, trembling in excitement.

"[Oh, what did you find out, Leavanny?]" Pikachu asked curiously.

Snivy smirked. "[Lemmie guess, is it something to do with Dawn's team?]"

"[It... Oh, err, yes it is,]" Leavanny replied, surprised. "[How did you know?]"

"[Pikachu recognized them after he saw his girlfriend!]" Oshawott said, smiling.

"[G-girlfriend!?]" Pikachu sputtered. "[Come on, Oshawott, we're close but we're not that close!]"

"[You aren't? Well then, why did she snuggle up next to you last time Dawn was here when she had a perfectly good oshawott around to keep her company?]"

Snivy looked like she was about to make a snide comment, so Pikachu cut in quickly. "[Well, we're very good friends, so of course she was happy to see me after so long! Besides, she's always been that way. She's pretty affectionate.]"

"[Yes, there's nothing wrong with being affectionate, Oshawott,]" Leavanny added. "[Just look at me: I love you all very much, but that doesn't mean I want to court you. Er, no offense, of course...]"

Pikachu smiled. "[Wow, Leavanny, that's real nice of you to say.]"

Leavanny also smiled. "[Well, it's true! You're my best friends, and I wouldn't give any of you up for the world.]"

Oshawott chuckled. "[Sounds like something Ash would say.]"

Leavanny giggled, covering his mouth. "[Oh, hehe, I suppose it does, doesn't it? Still, it's very true, all the same.]"

Everyone in the group smiled at that. However, something occurred to the mouse soon afterwards. "[I'm surprised, though. You're usually the first one to tell pokémon to 'follow their heart', and other romantic stuff like that.]"

Leavanny blushed. "[Ahaha, well, I think I've learned my lesson about saying things like that...]" he said, bashfully scratching the back of his head. "[...Although, I could if you wa-]"

"[N-no, that's quite alright, thanks!]" Pikachu interrupted, disappointing Leavanny. "[...But yeah. While she's a very lovely lady, I don't think she's into me that way. If she was, I think I would have found out by now...]"

"[Heh, such denial...]" Snivy quietly murmured to herself.

Pikachu felt his eye twitch. The hypocrisy was off the charts...

Oshawott gave a wily smirk. "[Well, if you don't want her, then I could always ask her if-]" He stopped mid-sentence as he noticed the dirty look Snivy was giving him. "[...Er, never mind.]"

Pikachu chuckled. "[Yeah, nice try, Osha. Besides, I don't think she's into flirty pokémon,]" Memories of a certain pseudo-legendary water-type flashed by Pikachu's mind. "[...trust me.]"

The otter grumbled in response, but said nothing else.

"[Say, perhaps you'll be able to talk to Buneary after the contest, Pikachu?]" Leavanny suggested. "[I'm hoping to catch up with my friends too, once we've finished.]"

"[Oh no, don't do that!]" Oshawott cried suddenly.

Leavanny flinched. "[Eep! W-why ever not, Oshawott?]"

"[If everyone finds out who you are, then they'll find out who _I_ am, and then Piplup will know, and then I'll never live it down!]" the drama-type otter yelled.

"[O-oh, is that so?]" Leavanny asked before sighing. "[Well... ok then. If it will make you happy, I'll stay covert.]"

"[Yeah, same here, I guess,]" Pikachu added. "[Something tells me that we'll be getting a proper visit from them soon, anyway. We've always had a habit of bumping into old friends.]" Even if it wasn't often that it happened twice in a row...

Leavanny seemed to brighten up a little after hearing that, which Pikachu appreciated.

Snivy shrugged. "[I wasn't planning on doing it anyway, but you have my word too. Anything to stop your bloody whining...]"

Oshawott breathed a sigh of relief. "[Thanks, guys... but I'm not whining.]"

"[My headache says otherwise,]" Snivy remarked, making Pikachu chuckle.

Oshawott huffed and opened his mouth to respond. However, whatever comeback he was about to make was stilted by the host's voice, which blared through the loudspeakers. "_Okay, everyone, places! The contest's about to begin_!"

"[Well, looks like it's time. Everyone good to go?]" Pikachu asked, looking towards his teammates.

"[Totally!]" Oshawott hollered.

"[Most certainly,]" Leavanny said, smiling.

"[Mmhmm,]" Snivy murmured.

Pikachu smirked confidently and pumped his fist. "[Alright, sweet! Then let's make Ash proud!]"

His friends responded with a small cheer before making their way towards Ash, ready to see who would be the first to tackle Dawn's surprise challenge.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Finished:** 10/10 (October)/2014

**Word count:** 2,879

**VGS2's pointless notes:** Oh my lord, you guys. This and the next two chapters were originally gonna just be one long chappie. However, I'm notorious for getting carried away, so after getting to 6000+ words and still not even being halfway close to finishing... yeah, it was time for a bit of a split up. =S

It's alright, though. Having many small chapters is better than having a few mega-ass chapters!

Also, speaking of 'Mega', have you guys played the sm4sh demo yet, if not the actual game? If so, how in hell's holy name do I use Leaf Shield properly? It's more useless than in the game it came from!  
And no, before you tell me to do so, I refuse to give in to the siren's call that is Skull Shield and Plant Barrier! What is this, Luigi's Mansion: Pikmin edition? Seriously now.

Also, no fabulously pink, Quick Boomerang-styled costume for Mega Man? Really!? Sm4sh ruined forever, Mega Mang bottom-tier, Game Over: Return of Wily, Sakurai confirmed for Satan, etcetc.

Bollocks, what fanfiction was this author's note for, again? All I know is that the lovely ravengal helped out with it a lot, especially with this chapter...  
Eh, doesn't matter, got sm4sh.

**Shameless Self-promotion:** Every time you review, favourite, and/or follow this story, another Robot Master learns how to love! (Disclaimer: Not really)

Welp, and with that, I'm off to stop that Doctah Wahwee. Tata for now, guys! c:

* * *

**Next up:** Dawn of a new battle.


	4. Feminine Face-off

**Last time on Girl Troubles Z...**

Pikachu: "It's Dawn!"

Everyone: "Say whaaaaaaaaaa-"

* * *

**Chapter 4: **_Feminine Face-off_

* * *

Pikachu watched from the sidelines as Leavanny stood on the arena, staring down his opponent, Pachirisu.

Oshawott may have been the trump card for the team, but Pikachu still had high hopes for his caterpillar friend. He was very graceful, so he was well suited to performing in contests.

The host flipped her coin which landed tails first, allowing Leavanny to start off.

After making her way back to the podium, the host picked up her microphone and yelled, "_Okay then, girls... begin!_" officially starting the match.

"Okay then, Leavanny, use String Shot to make a big, tall web!" Ash instructed, making sure to disguise his voice in the process.

Leavanny quickly sized up the room before unleashing a flurry of string from his mouth towards the sky. It connected with the ceiling and extended all the way down to the floor.

Once the floor and ceiling were connected, he gracefully danced around, spraying silk in a very deliberate and controlled manner. Before too long, the many threads were woven into a large, web-like wall.

It was exceptionally graceful! Pikachu wondered if Leavanny would make a better ballerina than he did a contest pokémon.

Oshawott whistled in admiration. "[Man, that guy sure has string to spare.]"

"[No kidding,]" Pikachu replied, equally as impressed. "[Such a sweet pattern, too. It's no wonder the clothes he makes are so great.]"

Oshawott nodded. "[Yeah! I should ask him to make me a scalchop cozy sometime.]"

Hearing that, Pikachu imagined Oshawott's shell wearing a little, pink sweater. The thought caused him to chuckle.

Ash pumped his fist. "Yeah, great job! Now, make a pattern in the middle of the string with X-Scissor!"

Leavanny obliged by leaping towards the middle of the woven structure with his crossed, glowing arms outstretched. Once within range, he planted his feet inside the threading and then took several swipes at the web of strings, frantically cutting off piece by piece.

Once he was done, Leavanny backflipped away from the web and made a graceful landing. Afterwards, the spotlights that were once focused on him shifted back to the newly cut pattern, revealing a pretty flower sculpture that wasn't unlike the one on the caterpillar's head.

"_Wow, folks! Such grace!_" the host said amongst the audience's clapping. "_Can she be topped, though? Only one way to find out!_"

The spotlights focused themselves onto Pachirisu, who looked like he-, er, she was raring to go.

"Pachirisu, use Discharge on the web!" Dawn instructed.

The squirrel energetically ran towards the web and jumped onto it. Afterwards, she quickly climbed up the webby wall and, once she reached the middle, let loose a big field of blue electricity which traveled though the strings as if they were wires.

A few seconds after Pachirisu hopped off, the spotlights shut off to emphasize the vibrant, blue glow of the string. It looked very flashy! Pikachu couldn't help but worry though; Leavanny hated the dark, so he wondered if the caterpillar would be okay...

Pikachu voiced his concerns aloud, which prompted Oshawott to respond with, "[It's alright! The web's lighting up the place.]"

"[True... only a little bit, though. It's still pretty dark,]" Pikachu replied, noting that Leavanny seemed somewhat skittish.

"[Yeah, I guess...]" Oshawott muttered, thinking it over.

"_Wow, such glamour!_" the host chimed in. "_That move's gonna be a hard one to beat. Still, let's see how Leavanny does against it!_" The spotlights turned on again and shifted towards Leavanny.

"[Oh, there ya go, Pikachu! They're on again,]" Oshawott said, pointing towards the spotlights.

"[Yeah, thank goodness. Hope it stays that way,]" Pikachu replied, sounding more assured than he felt.

The mouse looked over to Ash, who was stroking his chin in thought.

A few seconds later, Ash pointed towards the top of the webby wall. "Leavanny, make a hanging sign with Razor Leaf!"

Pikachu didn't really understand the request, but, judging by the caterpillar's glowing antennae, Leavanny seemed to get it.

After focusing on his target for a little while, Leavanny let loose many sharp leaves which quickly flew towards the brightened wall. As they reached their destination, each leaf cleanly sliced through some string, causing several key areas to come loose.

It didn't take long for most of the wall to collapse afterwards, leaving just the section with the flower pattern suspended by only two chains of string.

It looked like a neon sign for some kind of flower shop! Pikachu was very impressed. If he had tried to pull off a move like that, chances were he would have just pulled the whole thing down and embarrassed himself. Especially since he didn't even have Razor Leaf...

The lights shut off again, but Leavanny didn't seem to notice as much this time, so Pikachu didn't worry about it.

"[Okay, I call shenanigans on that! How hasn't it broken apart yet?]" Oshawott asked, talking over the host's commentary.

Snivy smirked. "[You wanting us to lose or something, Wott?]"

"[Er, well no... but still, it's weird!]"

"[String Shot's super sticky-]" Pikachu explained, turning to face Oshawott, "[-so the string's probably just stuck together. Besides, you're one to talk! Almost every move you've made in this contest spits in the laws of physics.]"

Oshawott took on a sassy pose. "[Oh, this coming from 'Thunder Armor' Man!]"

Pikachu sweat-dropped. "[...Where did you hear about that?]"

"[I heard Ash talk about it once. He said that you zapped yourself on top of a swellow and you both went all golden!]"

Snivy turned to face them both. "[You mean that actually happened? Huh, I thought he was just talking about a dream he had, or something.]"

Pikachu gave an embarrassed chuckle. "[Nah, it's real. I don't bring it up much, though. Whenever I do, people always ask for a demonstration...]"

"[Why don't you give 'em one? It sounds awesome!]" Oshawott asked.

"[I dunno how I did it, though, that's the thing! I was just following Ash's orders, and then it just happened, I guess.]"

Snivy raised an eyebrow. "[Turning yourself golden just... happened?]"

"[While riding on top of something weak to lightning?]" Oshawott added.

Pikachu scratched the back of his neck. "[Er, yeah. I guess.]"

His friends stared at him incredulously, making the poor mouse blush. Before he could explain himself, though, the entire hall suddenly went red! What the-!?

The trio quickly faced back towards the arena to find out that Leavanny's web-sign had gone up in flames!

"[...How the heck did _that_ happen!?]" Oshawott exclaimed.

"[You didn't tell us your friend had Fire-Type moves, Pikachu,]" Snivy said, looking towards the squirrel who seemed quite pleased with him- herself.

"[She doesn't. I think...]" While he was happy for the distraction from the awkward topic, even Pikachu had to admit that he was confused. They really needed to start paying attention to the contest...

Seconds later, the lights began to shut off again. Oh no...

Pikachu looked towards Leavanny and saw him trembling. It was just as Pikachu feared; the darkness was bad enough on its own, but combined with the fire? Not good.

"Leavanny, use Energy Ball on the string!" Ash yelled, trying to snap Leavanny out of his fear-stricken state.

It didn't work. The poor caterpillar seemed rooted to the spot. Pikachu wondered if he was in the middle of a flashback...

"_Oh no! It seems that Ashley's Leavanny is having some trouble!_" the host yelled into her mic. "_If this keeps up for too long, she'll get timed out! Let's hope she pulls through, folks!_"

Leavanny didn't seem to listen to her. The only movement he made was desperately looking back towards Ash, as if considering throwing in the towel and running back to his trainer for comfort.

The teary-eyed look on his face broke the mouse's heart, so he decided to try and help. "[C'mon, Leaf, you can do it!]"

Snivy nodded and joined in. "[You've got this, Leavanny!]"

"[Yeah, c'mon, Leavanny! Believe in yourself! And believe in us believing in you!]" Oshawott added, earning an odd look from Pikachu.

"Hang in there, Leavanny!" Ash yelled, taking a cue from his pokémon. "I know you can do this!"

Their encouragement seemed to have an effect on the caterpillar. After a few seconds of looking starry-eyed, he gave a determined nod and got back into position, making Pikachu and the others cheer.

Ash pumped his fist. "Yeah, alright! Now, use Energy Ball on the web!"

Leavanny charged up an Energy Ball and aimed for the flaming, webby sign. He was still shuddering a little, but he seemed determined to carry on regardless.

After taking a deep breath, he shot out a strand of string. ...Wait, what? Pikachu did a double take. That wasn't an Energy Ball at all, it was another String Shot! Pikachu didn't understand. Did Leavanny do that by accident?

Before anyone could say anything, the string reached its target and became connected to the web sign. Alarmingly, only seconds later, after the gooey string dried out, fire started to slowly creep down it. Despite that, though, Leavanny refused to detach it from his mouth. Instead, he started to charge up his Energy Ball for real this time.

"L-Leavanny, stop! It's too dangerous, you'll get hurt!" Ash shouted, his pretend-voice cracking in worry.

"[What's he doing!? He's gonna burn himself!]" Oshawott yelled.

Pikachu wondered about that himself, though he soon figured it out. "[I think he's trying to make it easier to hit his mark. If he just launched an Energy Ball normally, he could tear the web.]"

Snivy scowled. "[That bloody idiot. It's not worth killing himself over.]"

"[Not really... Gotta give him credit for it, though. That's one big fear to conquer for a contest.]"

"[Mmm...]" Snivy murmured, saying nothing more.

The flames were edging closer to the caterpillar, but he continued to ignore them as he charged his Energy Ball. It wasn't until they were halfway across the string that Leavanny finally unleashed his attack, which swiftly traveled across the thread, turning all flames it touched bright green.

The ball of energy split apart into several pieces as it reached the main web. Each piece independently traveled separately across the complex, turning all flames they touched into a dazzling, emerald color. All except for the flower pattern's petals, which somehow managed to stay a vibrant red.

As this was happening, Leavanny wisely chose to tear off his strand of web before the flames started to lick at his face. Needless to say, Pikachu was greatly relieved, and by the way that Leavanny slumped over afterwards, Pikachu guessed that he was too.

"_Wow folks, such a risky maneuver! However, it looks like the great risk led to a great reward!" _the host said, to which the crowd reacted with a large deal of clapping.

"Alright, Leavanny, way to go!" Ash praised, despite the earlier danger.

Pikachu and the others cheered for their friend, who smiled back at them.

It wasn't over yet, however. Dawn had another trick up her sleeve. "Pachirisu, use Sweet Kiss on it!"

Pachirisu brought her paws to her mouth and then blew a big kiss, causing pink hearts to fly out towards the web.

"[Wow, she's so pretty...]" Oshawott said, sighing. "[If she wasn't such a scalchop kicker, then I would totally flirt with her.]"

Snivy huffed. "[Nice to see your standards are as high as ever...]"

Oshawott frowned. "[She's a little hyper, sure, but you just can't argue with that cute face, c'mon!]"

"[Careful, Oshawott. I keep calling her a 'she', but until today, I thought she was a boy,]" Pikachu warned while still watching the contest. "[Heck, I'm still not really sure, to be honest. 'She' could be cheating at the contest just like, well, us.]"

The otter's eyes widened. "[...Er, I take everything back.]"

Snivy stopped scowling and smirked. "[Hehe. Nice to see which team you're batting for, Wott.]"

Oshawott groaned and covered his blushing face with his shell. "[She- er, he looks exactly like a pretty girl, gimmie a break!]"

"[Only to you...]" Snivy replied, making Oshawott's blush all the larger.

Pikachu chuckled, but still kept an eye on the tournament at hand. He could see the hearts begin to envelop the web, turning all the flames into an interesting mix of green and pink. It was very pretty! ...That is, until the entire sign collapsed and fell down. That wasn't quite as pretty.

"_Oopsie daisy! It looks like it just couldn't handle the heat!_" the host yelled._ "This means that Leavanny is the winner!"_

Upon hearing that, Pachirisu began to flail around angrily. She continued doing that until a small clump of fiery string landed on her tail, at which point she stopped, followed the resulting burning scent with her nose, and then began to run around in a blind panic.

Soon afterwards, the lights came back on and the sprinkler system was set off in order to douse the flames. Curiously though, only the ones directly above the arena were working; the sprinklers above the spectators and coordinators stayed dry. Pikachu guessed that this was a deliberate design choice to avoid annoying the spectators whenever a fire-type pokémon was brought out onto the arena.

Regardless, none of them seemed to be able to douse the flames on Pachirisu's tail. She was running around too fast! Thankfully, before any real damage could be done, Pachirisu ran past Leavanny, who was all too happy to use a thick spray of String Shot to douse the squirrel's tail.

After that, Pachirisu simply laid there, grumpily picking bits of gooey webbing out of her fur, until Dawn finally managed to recall the now stationary squirrel back into her pokéball.

Pikachu sadly shook his head. "[Poor Pachi. I hope she'll be alri- ..._Hey_!]"

The mouse looked to his side to see that Oshawott was laughing his head off. "[Pahahaha, oh man...!]"

Pikachu felt annoyed. "[Tsk, don't laugh, Osha! She could have hurt herself.]"

Oshawott wiped a tear away. "[Haha, sorry, Pikachu. It's just... that was exactly like some comedy routine,]" he admitted before going back to giggling.

"[Hmph, even so! Tell him, Snive.]" The snake said nothing in response. "[...Snivy?]"

The mouse looked past Oshawott to see that Snivy was quietly tittering to herself. Oh for crying out loud...

Pikachu put his paw on his face. "[Oh come on, not you too...]"

Snivy stopped snickering, but her smirk remained. "[Lighten up, Pikachu. From the looks of things, your friend isn't in any serious pain.]" Her smirk disappeared as she looked Pikachu in the eye. An act that surprised him. "[I would _never_ laugh at someone if they were truly distressed. Only an arse would do that.]"

Pikachu sighed; she had a point.

"[Yeah, man. If it happened to Leavanny, I wouldn't laugh,]" Oshawott added, looking over to the caterpillar, who was currently being praised by Ash. "[He wouldn't act all goofy about it, so I'd just be sad.]"

"[Yeah... fair comment,]" Pikachu relented. Besides, the mouse doubted that Pachirisu would remember this for... more than a few minutes, probably.

After thinking about something else, Pikachu chuckled. "[Heh, how much do you wanna bet that Emolga would laugh, anyway?]"

Snivy snickered. "[Wouldn't surprise me...]"

Oshawott frowned. "[Oh, c'mon, you guys. She ain't _that_ bad! Sure she always uses Attract on me just to steal my food, and always calls me a complete dork, and won't even give me the time of day without spreading gossip about me, but...]"

Snivy raised an eyebrow. "[But...?]"

"[...She's pretty,]" Oshawott replied, grinning sheepishly.

Pikachu and Snivy both groaned. Of course...

"_Okay, everyone! It's time for another five minute break while we clean up,_" the host announced as some janitors and their pokémon walked onto the arena. "_Like last time, please feel free to buy some drinks and merchandise before we start again. We have more Osha-branded gear in stock~!" _

Almost instantly, everyone in the crowd cleared out and headed towards the gift shop in the building. Pikachu wasn't even surprised anymore, to be quite honest.

Not long afterwards, Leavanny skipped over to the group and waved happily, having finished speaking to Ash. "[Hello, friends~]"

The team greeted him back enthusiastically.

The caterpillar smiled before shyly twiddling his leafy hands together. "[Um, I'm really sorry about nearly letting all of you down earlier...]"

"[Are you kidding? You did great, Leaf!]" Pikachu replied. "[We're proud of ya for pulling through.]"

Oshawott pumped a fist. "[Totally! You were red hot out there!]"

Pikachu wasn't sure if it was the otter's remark or his own groans that made Snivy chuckle afterwards.

Leavanny blushed and covered his mouth with his hand-leaves. "[O-oh, why, thank you, everyone~]"

Everyone in the group smiled.

* * *

"Now, Oshawott, use Razor Shell!" Ash instructed, pointing at Togekiss' floating Aura Sphere, which was now watery thanks to the otter's earlier use of Hydro Pump.

Obeying his trainer, Oshawott started by doing lots of twirls, which ended as soon as he threw his shell towards the suspended, glowing ball of water.

The second his shell made contact with the blue sphere, the whole thing exploded into a dazzling display of blue lights and flashes that were not unlike a liquid firework. Or should that be a 'waterwork'?

Pikachu cringed. Oshawott's bad jokes were starting to rub off on him...

After the brief light show ended, Oshawott jumped up and, after a few midair twirls, grabbed the shell that boomeranged back towards him. Afterwards, he landed gracefully and ended his routine by taking a bow towards the audience.

To say that the crowd loved his performance would have been an understatement. Their applause was almost deafening!

"[Goodness. He most certainly performed better against Princess Togekiss than I did,]" Leavanny said, joining in with the clapping.

"[Only a little, Leaf. You did good, too!]" Pikachu said, remembering Leavanny's earlier performance against Togekiss.

The caterpillar had started out well at the time. He had launched an Energy Ball adorned with Razor Leaves into the air, which had eventually erupted into a large shower of leaves that sprinkled downwards. However, Togekiss had countered the move by using Safeguard to surround herself with a barrier, flying upside down to gather up the leaves in the bowl of energy, and then blasting the makeshift container with Air Slash. The result had caused a large explosion of leafy confetti, which Leavanny hadn't been able to counter.

Thankfully, Leavanny hadn't seemed too upset about losing. In fact, he'd seemed happy to have squared off against Togekiss. Or 'Princess Togekiss', as he liked to call her after hearing about her royal roots, if you could even call them that.

The caterpillar in question smiled at Pikachu's earlier statement. "[Thank you, Pikachu. Yeah, I suppose I was simply 'in over my head', as they say.]"

"[Yeah, Togekiss sure is a tough cookie. How Oshawott managed to beat her so easily, I have no idea...]" Pikachu responded, looking over to the arena to see a very victorious-looking Oshawott being applauded by the bird in-question, as well as the audience.

Obviously, Ash was the one giving the winning commands, but Oshawott always went the extra mile and beyond with his actions, and the fight he had just won against the equally-showy Togekiss was no exception. It was almost like watching a ballet battle!

On that thought, the image of Oshawott doing a ballet dance in a flowery tutu came to Pikachu's mind. Thankfully, nobody noticed the mouse sniggering to himself as a result.

As Togekiss flew back to Dawn's side, the host spoke into her microphone. "_Alright, the area seems all clear already, so let's start off straight away!_" The crowd cheered in response. "_Okay then, Dawn, please select your next pokémon!_"

Dawn complied, thoughtfully looking between her last two pokémon. After a few seconds of deciding, she pointed towards Buneary.

Seeing that, Pikachu grinned. He could hardly wait to see her in action again! Unfortunately, it seemed that Buneary didn't share his enthusiasm. She walked onto the arena in an almost uninterested sort of way. How odd...

Well, it was likely that she was just having a bad day, Pikachu assured himself. He had heard tales of her acting somewhat snarky when annoyed (not that he ever got to properly witness it for himself), so it made sense. Now if only Pikachu knew what had gotten her so moody today...

"[What's up with you?]" Snivy asked suddenly, taking Pikachu's attention away from the host's coin flip.

"[Huh? Oh, nothing, Snive,]" Pikachu responded.

"[You seem awfully distant for someone who's 'alright',]" Snivy said, crossing her arms. "[Has this got something to do with the awkward pause you did while reassuring Oshawott earlier?]"

Pikachu chuckled embarrassedly. "[Ah dang, you remembered.]" He went back to watching the contest, where Dawn was currently giving out a command. "[Well, kind of. I was just thinking about how Buneary is like a contest queen compared to Piplup. I didn't want to say anything to Osha, though. He seemed shaky enough without the added intimidation.]"

"[Well, I'm sure Oshawott can hold his own. He's also a contest queen, as well as a drama queen...]" Snivy replied, making Pikachu chuckle.

Pikachu opened his mouth to respond, though he stopped as Buneary started her routine. She began by using Bounce to jump high into the air. As she went higher, she spun around while shooting her Ice Beam, which created a hollow, spiraling column of ice. Once she was at the peak of her jump, she stopped her attack and then landed onto the edge of the corkscrew-esque structure, finishing off with an elegant pose.

Needless to say, Pikachu's mouth stayed open. She was just as brilliant as ever...

"[Besides, I think you're being biased,]" Snivy continued.

Pikachu inclined his head towards the snake, making sure to also keep an eye on the contest, as Buneary started to slide down the corkscrew tower. "[Huh? Why's that?]"

"[It's obvious that you fancy her, that's why.]"

Pikachu groaned. "[Oh no... We're not going back to talking about who's crushing on who again, are we?]"

Snivy smirked. "[Not denying it, I see.]"

Pikachu frowned. "[Tsk, right after you told us to quit bugging you about your crush on 'you know who' as well.]"

Snivy huffed. "[At least I have proof, unlike you and the nosy bugger next to you.]"

"[Huh?]" Pikachu looked to his other side and saw the eavesdropper in question, who was sitting down next to them. "[Oh. Hey, Leavanny.]"

The caterpillar broke out into a cold sweat. "[Oh, um, h-hey. Sorry, I didn't know you were having a private conversation...]"

"[S'alright, Leaf. You can join in, if you want.]

Leavanny smiled.

"[...As long as you don't go all super romanticist-y on us again.]"

Leavanny's face fell. "[Aww...]"

Pikachu amusedly shook his head before turning back towards Snivy, catching a glimpse of Buneary at the foot of her corkscrew tower in the process. "[Anyway, what proof? You have just as much as we do!]"

"[On the contrary-]" she replied, speaking over the host's announcements, "[-all you have on me is vague assumptions which I keep denying. Whereas, you're always gushing about that rabbit with every chance you get.]"

...Dang, he couldn't counter that. Man, this was almost like being a detective who was trying to get a tricky suspect to confess to their crimes... all while being suspected by the suspect.

Snivy looked over at Buneary, who was stepping back to let Oshawott take his turn. "[Y'know, I've seen overly peppy pokémon like her before. I've also seen them fancy others, too.]" She turned to face Pikachu again. "[...Let's just say that I think your feelings are mutual, from what I've seen of her.]"

Pikachu sighed and focused his eyes on the bunny in question. "[Well, if she did like me, I wouldn't mind... but I think we're jumping the bun-, er, gun a bit.]" Pikachu decided to ignore the sniggering snake next to him and continued. "[Someone that super affectionate would never go for so long without confessing.]"

"[Well, what if she's a little shy?]" Leavanny suggested, before covering his mouth. "[Ah, oops! S-sorry, Pikachu. I romanticized again...]"

"[Nah, it's alright, Leaf. That's... a good question, actually.]" Huh, he'd never considered that...

Unable to come up with an answer, Pikachu decided to focus on the contest for a bit. For the past several seconds, Oshawott had been scaling the twirling column of ice, using the same dexterity that he had shown earlier in the contest while competing against Licki.

Right now, however, he was at the top of the corkscrew pillar, though he soon jumped inside of its hollow center and blasted his Hydro Pump downwards, which propelled _him_ upwards. As he rose, his water burst out of the side of the spiraling pattern of the tower and quickly froze, turning the pillar very prickly.

It was pretty cool, no pun intended, but Pikachu couldn't focus on the routine properly. His eyes kept getting drawn to Buneary as he pondered Leavanny's question.

She was very affectionate, and sometimes even flirtatious, sure, but she always seemed to dance around the topic of romance whenever Pikachu brought it up. He had just assumed it was only Buneary being Buneary, though could it have been because she didn't want him to find out anything about her feelings?

Also, she always became giddy and hid her face behind her fur whenever Pikachu praised her... but only when it was him doing the praising. Everyone else who complimented her got a fairly normal response in comparison.

The mouse had assumed it was all a case of hero worship... but thanks to Leavanny's comment, and Snivy's pestering, he was starting to have second thoughts.

...Pikachu sighed and shook his head before turning towards Snivy. "[Anyway, I have something to ask you, if we're gonna talk about romance.]"

The snake raised an eyebrow. "[Hm?]"

"[If you don't have a crush on Osha, then why does it annoy you when he flirts with others so much?]"

She crossed her arms. "[Why wouldn't it? It makes him look like a desperate idiot who only cares about looks.]"

Leavanny tilted his head. "[Does it upset you because he's not saying such nice things about you instead?]"

Snivy's face softened for a second, though the look was quickly replaced with a scowl. "[Not at all.]"

Pikachu thought of something and smiled. "[Y'know, I remember hearing Osha say that you're very pretty, too.]"

Snivy huffed. "[I don't care.]"

Pikachu's smile immediately died. "[W-what? Why?]"

"[You used the word 'too', which implies exactly what I've come to expect from him.]"

Pikachu gave a heavy sigh. He would hate to see this girl's opinion on someone like Brock, that's for sure. It would be like Croagunk all over again...

Watching the contest out the corner of his eye, Pikachu noticed that Buneary was currently using a mix of Bounce and Dizzy Punch to destroy all of the spikes protruding from the pillar, which created a large shower of diamond dust as a result. Trying not to root for her was a strange feeling that Pikachu wasn't a fan of.

"[Aww, why won't you give poor Oshawott a chance, Snivy?]" Leavanny asked, sounding sad. "[If you both courted, I think he would make for an excellent boyfriend.]"

Snivy fiddled with the purple flower on her head. "[...In the forest I came from, we had a very special name for pokémon like Oshawott.]"

Leavanny looked confused. "[Um, excuse me, sorry?]"

"[If you can guess what we called pokémon like Oshawott, I'll let you know _exactly _why I don't want to give him a chance.]"

"[Um, 'sexy'?]" Pikachu offered, cracking a grin.

Snivy looked very unimpressed. "[...No.]"

Ouch. Shot down...

Leavanny raised his hand. "[Oh, oh, I think I know~]"

"[Hm?]"

"[Pokémon like Oshawott are called 'cheaters', right?]" Leavanny asked, seeming proud with his answer. After a few seconds, though, he looked concerned. "[Er, not that I'm implying that he would cheat on you, of course. Oh, and not to imply that that you're both courting right now, either.]" He started breaking out into a cold sweat. "[I-I mean, not to say that he _wouldn't_ court you either. I'm sure he thinks that you're very nice! ...But that doesn't mean you _have_ to court him, it's just that-]"

Snivy rolled her eyes and slapped a vine over his mouth, before he could continue digging a hole for himself. "[Yes, I get it, Leavanny. But no, it's not 'cheater'.]"

"[S-sorry...]" Leavanny replied as the grass snake withdrew her vine.

"[It's alright. Besides, you're somewhat close...]" Snivy admitted as the vine withdrew back into her collar. "[Anyway, one more guess.]"

Pikachu tried to think of a serious answer this time, though he was coming up blank for one to use. He sort of had an idea of what Snivy was getting at, though any answer out of the thousands he could give was a gamble.

After a while, he settled on one. "[Umm, 'hopeless'?]"

Snivy chuckled. "[Heh, you're not wrong, but no, that's not what I'm thinking of.]"

Pikachu sighed. "[Alright then, Snivy, you win. In the forest, what do you call someone like Oshawott, dare I ask?]"

Snivy smirked. "[A complete twat.]"

Hearing that, Pikachu burst out laughing. Well then... that was unexpected!

Leavanny went red and covered his mouth. "[Oh my, Snivy! So lewd!]"

"[Well, it's true,]" Snivy said, her smirk gone. "[He's an insecure idiot who only cares about getting a girlfriend so that he can look more masculine. He couldn't give a toss about the girls themselves.]" She turned towards the contest. "[...That's the way I see it, anyway.]"

Pikachu's laughter died down rapidly as she spoke. "[Jeez, the way you talk about him makes it sound like you hate the poor guy's guts.]"

Snivy sighed softly. "[Not really. He's a complete plonker, sure, but he's still one of my best friends, all the same.]"

"[Coulda fooled me...]" Pikachu replied, joining in with watching the contest.

In his current routine, Oshawott was flying around the hall while enveloped in a large funnel of water. He was using way more water than Aqua Jet usually allowed, so it was likely that he had combined it with Hydro Pump for an extra kick.

That wasn't all, though. Due to flying through Buneary's ice sculpture earlier, the trail of water quickly froze behind him as he traveled through the air, creating a large, tube-like maze of ice that kept increasing in size as Oshawott continued onwards.

After creating what could only be described as a long, twisty ice-snake, the otter finally ended the routine by flying upwards and causing a watery explosion, which froze into a large, transparent, water-filled bowl atop a pillar. Afterwards, Oshawott happily swam around in his new, makeshift pool as the crowd gave a roaring applause in response.

It was impressive, but jeez, just what were those two pokémon using? Liquid nitrogen!?

Then again, just how did Buneary get a move like Ice Beam, anyway? It seemed like an odd move for such a cute bunny to learn. Pikachu made a mental note to ask her about it sometime.

...Cute bunny? Pikachu blushed slightly and stopped looking in Buneary's direction. Man, maybe Snivy was more correct than he thought...

"[Excuse me, Snivy?]" Leavanny asked, snapping Pikachu out of his thoughts.

"[Hm?]" Snivy murmured, looking at the caterpillar.

"[You know about those peppy pokémon you mentioned?]"

Snivy quizzically raised an eyebrow at first, though she soon realized what he meant. "[Oh, right. Yeah?]"

"[Did they ever get together with their special somemons in the end?]" Leavanny asked, starry-eyed.

"[I'm sorry to say it, but no.]"

"[Oh, why's that?]" Pikachu asked, turning away from watching Oshawott wave towards the audience from the top of his large, ice-pillar bath... thing.

"[...Let's just say that the pokémon they fancied weren't very interested,]" Snivy responded, looking at the floor.

Leavanny's antennae drooped. "[Aww, that's sad...]"

"[Don't worry. Wherever they are now, I'm sure they've found someone better. Maybe...]"

"[I really hope so. I don't like sad endings when it comes to romance...]"

Pikachu and Snivy agreed with him.

"[I just hope that Buneary doesn't find herself in a similar fate...]" Snivy said before looking in Pikachu's direction. Oh brother...

Pikachu shook his head. "[C'mon, Snivy. I never said that I wouldn't date her. It's just that I'd like to know what I'm getting into before I go charging into there. I don't wanna be like Broc- er, Oshawott now, do I?]"

Snivy turned to watch the contest again. "[Yeah, alright. Fair comme- ...Hm!?]" Snivy stopped, suddenly seeming very distressed.

Leavanny followed her gaze, and gasped. "[O-oh no, something's wrong!]"

Hearing that, Pikachu's eyes were immediately drawn to Buneary, though she seemed fine, thank goodness. It was more than what could be said for Oshawott, though...

He was currently shivering violently while in a fetal position, having just sunk to the bottom of his ice-bowl.

...They really needed to start paying attention to the contest.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Finished:** 19/10 (October)/2014

**Word count:** 5,491

**VGS2's pointless notes:** Oh lord, what could have happened!? Find out next chapter, same otter time, same otter channel!

Also, fun fact! I recently found out that Leavanny doesn't learn X-Scissor until a later episode. _Whoops_!

Well, it's either that or use Tackle, so eh. Fic's officially gone into AU territory, you guys! 0% canon, deconfirmed forever, highschool fanfiction-tier, etc.

Also, guys, ravengal did it. She saved the chapter from being poop. Go and raid her fics with some reviews, plz.

**Shameless Self-promotion:** If you don't review, favourite, and/or follow this story, Oshawott will probably die painfully next chapter! (Disclaimer: Not really)

Also, thanks to everyone who's supported the fic so far! You're the sexiest kinds of people! :3

Alright, and with that, I'm off to play 1v1 on For Glory. Tata for now, guys! c:

* * *

**Next up:** T_echnical Difficulties_


	5. Paranoid Premonitions

**Quickie pointless note: **Guys, I done goofed! This was meant to be the 'Unlikely Rivalry' chappie, but it got too long again! By two chapters, no less!

So yeah, while the next one won't have it, I promise that the one afterwards will have the 'Unlikely Rivalry'. Pinkie swear! Er, something something hope to fly, stick a cupcake up my whatsit. I dunno, don't lynch me, plz! D:

* * *

**Last time on Grilled Truffles...**

Leavanny got good against Pachirisu, Togekiss rekt Leavanny, Oshawott was winner against Togekiss and almost beat Buneary's butt, but then he became ded.

So yeah, shenanigans all around. Also, lagoshipping fuel.

* * *

**Chapter 5****: **_Paranoid Premonitions_

* * *

Pikachu and his friends watched on in horror as Oshawott continued to hug his feet and shiver violently, all with a weird expression on his face.

The heck? He was happily waving to the audience just less than half a minute ago, so what was wrong now!?

Thankfully, against all logic, the icy bowl of water that he was shivering inside didn't seem to be freezing over. Unthankfully, the otter didn't seem to be holding his breath properly, and that bowl was almost as high as the ceiling! So regardless, things were looking bad either way.

"[What the bloody hell happened to him!?]" Snivy exclaimed, probably more loudly than she had intended.

"[Umm... m-maybe he's too cold?]" Leavanny suggested, holding a hand up to his mouth in worry.

"[He's not a grass-type like us, Leavanny. That water should be barely fazing him...]"

Leavanny tried to reply, but Pikachu couldn't hear him over the commotion that the crowd was causing. The mouse had never heard so much gasping and worried muttering in one place before.

Despite the noise, Pikachu could hear the host muttering worriedly near her mic. "_Oh no, and the tournament was going so well for once, too... Son of a-" _She paused."_Oh um, erhem, d-don't worry, everyone! Everything's just fine, we promise!_" For some reason, Pikachu didn't feel very reassured.

Looking over at Dawn's side, Pikachu could tell that she and her team were also worried. Heck, the mouse had never seen Piplup look so devastated before! It wasn't hard to guess which pokémon he was rooting for. Traitor…

After hearing all of the chaos, Buneary seemed to be catching onto the fact that something was wrong, too. She was looking up at the bowl with both of her ears upright, as if unsure what was going on.

"Oh no, Oshawott!" Ash yelled, barely remembering to disguise his voice. "Hold on, I'm coming!" He started running towards the tower. Unfortunately, before he could get very far, his feet got caught on his dress, causing him to go sprawling towards the floor, yelping in pain. Afterwards, he just laid there, dazed. Pikachu couldn't help but facepalm at the sight.

Looking to his side afterwards, Pikachu could see Snivy looking down at the ground while scowling to herself. After a few seconds, she started towards the arena. "[Ughh, bugger it.]"

"[Wait, where're you going?]" Pikachu called after her.

She stopped and looked back. "[I don't want one of my best friends to drown to death, obviously.]"

"[Well, yeah, of course... But what about the staff? I'm sure they've been trained to handle stuff like this.]"

"[By the way they're all just standing around like lemons, I highly doubt it.]"

…Lemons? Well, either way, she was right. Everyone seemed more content panicking than doing anything productive, like saving the otter's life, for instance.

"[Um, d-do you need any help?]" Leavanny asked.

Snivy shook her head. "[It's fine. Both of you go and help Ash while I sort this out.]"

And with that, she ran towards the tower, leaving Pikachu and Leavanny to go and help their dizzy trainer back to his feet. Snivy rarely did things without a plan behind them, so Pikachu trusted her to work things out.

As the mouse and caterpillar ran over to Ash, however, Pikachu couldn't help but worriedly look towards Oshawott. Whatever happened must have been pretty bad to make him do this _now_ of all times...

* * *

"Oshawott, jump to the top of that tower!" Ash yelled in his girly voice, pointing towards the icy corkscrew-tower that Pikachu's girlfriend made by using Ice Beam.

The otter faced Ash, gave a determined arm pump, and then ran towards the tower, ready to show the world his moves!

Once Oshawott reached the spiraling spire, he began jumping from edge to edge by using the openings like footholds, like he had done with that sexy lickitung's ice-rock from earlier. However, scaling this thing was a little harder than climbing the lickitung's statue. This thing was _entirely_ made out of slippery ice, so the otter had to be a little more careful this time around.

He still managed, though. Thank goodness the bunny went with a corkscrew design for this thing instead of just making a solid wall of ice. Trying to climb something like that would have sucked hard...

In just a few seconds, Oshawott was already at the top of the tower. It wasn't the most massive thing of all time, but he was still higher than everyone in the audience. It made Oshawott feel like a king! ...Well, a queen-king, anyway.

Before too long, Oshawott could hear Ash continue with his instructions. "Now jump inside and use Hydro Pump downwards with as much power as you can!"

The otter took a second to ponder the instruction. Soon afterwards, he got it. He was gonna be a water rocket! Oh, wait until his fans got a hold of that~

While doing a front flip, Oshawott jumped into the middle of the tower. Once he was halfway inside, he yelled, "[_Hydro Rocket_!]" and then blasted his Hydro Pump downwards, using as much force as he possibly could. Afterwards, his downwards momentum soon changed into the upwards kind, launching him high into the air!

As he rose, he noticed that the water from his attack was freezing right after touching the sides of the tower, filling the holes in the tower with icy spikes that stuck outwards. Huh, he didn't think it would freeze _that_ easily, let alone into spikes. He must have been a _cooler_ _sharpshooter_ than he thought!

The pun made Oshawott smirk. He cracked himself up!

Deciding that he was finished, Oshawott ended the flow of water. He wasn't done yet, however; he still needed to land without breaking his neck! Thankfully, the frozen water-stream managed to create a large, upwards-facing spike in the middle of the pillar, so Oshawott took advantage by aiming towards it as he descended, making sure to do a few flashy spins in the process.

Once he reached the pointy cone, he slid down its side on his belly, though not before making sure to remove his scalchop and store it next to the flower on his head for safekeeping. He didn't want to scratch it! It was his sexiest feature, so if he lost that, then he'd lose his shot at love forever!

...Okay, probably not. He was still pretty dang handsome, after all. No matter what that naggy snake said about him, he would always be a babe magnet, scalchop or none! ...Though he still wanted to play it safe.

At the foot of the cone atop the pillar, one of the spikes was sticking out and away from the structure like a ramp. Oshawott used it for one last aerial boost before coming down towards the ground, spinning all the while.

Once he safely landed on his feet, he raised his scalchop towards the air in celebration as the lights dimmed and the spotlights focused on him. Afterwards, the crowd went absolutely nuts over him, as always!

Oshawott smirked. Man, it felt good to be queen-king~

As the lights brightened again, the otter looked over at his team, expecting to see everyone over there cheering, too. However, it looked like only Ash was doing that; everyone else was just talking to each other and giving Oshawott the cold shoulder, just like they had done with the lickitung in the previous match.

...Well, maybe they were talking about how cool he was just then! ...Pun intended. There was nothing wrong with that, he assured himself.

"_Wow, folks! She sure nailed that landing, didn't she?_" the host yelled through her microphone. The crowd responded by cheering louder. "_Now, let's see if her competitor can keep up!_"

Oshawott moved out of the way while Buneary approached the structure. As she walked past, the otter couldn't help but notice that the bunny didn't look as attractive as the first time he had seen her a month ago, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why that was. Well, he couldn't put his paw on why, anyway.

Oshawott mentally shrugged. It was probably because she became off-limits, due to being Pikachu's girl. It was a shame, really, but oh well; there were many more delightful-looking ladies in life for him to choose from. Even if Snivy disapproved of all of them, as always...

"Buneary, break the spikes with Bounce and Dizzy Punch!" Buneary's blue-haired trainer ordered.

Without uttering a single word, the rabbit did as she was told and jumped high into the air.

Jeez, where was the fun in being quiet about it? Half of the fun in using moves was yelling their names out! Pikachu had a very strange taste in women.

Buneary landed onto some of the sideways-facing spikes, causing them to shatter and turn into a shiny, powdery dust. Afterwards, she jumped again, though this time, she punched the spikes next to her as she rose. Done with that, she landed on the spikes that were further along, and then repeated herself over and over again until all the spikes were gone, leaving the tower bare, though still filled with ice.

Oshawott breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that Buneary wasn't punching or landing on the pointy end of the spikes. That would've totally ended in tears, as well as with one less girlfriend for Pikachu...

Once she was done, Buneary simply walked away from the now-sparkly tower while the audience clapped for her and the spotlights awkwardly followed her.

She wasn't taking a single bow, or anything!? 'Passionate about contests' Oshawott's _tail_! That mouse was more biased than Oshawott was when it came to complimenting women! ...Not that Oshawott was ever biased, or anything.

"_A simple, but effective move!_" the host announced. "_Let's see what Oshawott has up her sleeve for the counter!_"

The lights brightened again as Oshawott faced his trainer, who was fiddling with his wig in thought.

Oshawott started to worry. He really hoped that Ash didn't mess with it too much. If that thing fell off now... Oshawott shivered at the thought.

Thankfully, Ash soon stopped once he thought of something to say. "Oshawott, use Aqua Jet to fly through the statue!"

The otter nodded and turned towards the tower. As he eyed it up, though, he realized that Aqua Jet alone wouldn't cut it. He would just go splat against the side of the wall if he tried dashing through that!

After a few seconds of thought, Oshawott held onto his scalchop and started running. Dashing wouldn't work... but maybe drilling would!

As he approached the tower, he aimed his scalchop forwards and yelled, "[Aqua Drill!]", causing his body to become enveloped in water as he launched himself forwards, spinning rapidly.

Once he reached the tower, he quickly bore through the wall, reaching its center in record time. Man, he loved that technique! Even if it did make him feel a bit dizzy afterwards...

Satisfied that he was deep inside, he let the attack dissipate as he waited for Ash's next order.

He didn't have to wait for long before he heard it. "Great, now fly upwards with Aqua Jet and Hydro Pump!"

Huh? Hydro Pump _and_ Aqua Jet? Was that even possible!? Well... it was worth a shot, at least. Yeah, he could pull it off, easily!

Making sure that his scalchop was back on his belly, he took position and gathered up all the watery strength he had for his next attack.

Once he was ready, he yelled, "[_Hydro Jet!_]" to the heavens before water surged from his mouth and surrounded his muscular body.

At first, nothing above the otter would budge. However, Oshawott refused to give up! His lack of movement only encouraged him to use even more power! As a result, after many more seconds of persistence, Oshawott soon found himself bursting through the top of the tower, causing a large, watery explosion of snow to erupt from the summit at the same time.

Oshawott didn't stop there, however! As he went higher, the otter noticed that he could change his trajectory mid-flight, just like he could with his regular Aqua Jet. On top of that, the water trails he left behind were freezing rapidly as he moved along, thanks to the icy tower.

The otter grinned. It was time to put on a show~

Before the crowd could even react, Oshawott was already busy flying through the air while performing epic stunts such as daring dives, spectacular loops, and precise slaloming around all of the ice trails that were forming behind him.

It was radical! He should've totally been born as a flying-type. Then _all_ the chicks would've loved him! Hahaha...

Deciding that he had wowed the audience enough, the otter decided to end his routine with a heavy dose of _awesome_.

Holding his scalchop outward, he yelled, "[Razor Shell!]" before doing a sharp spin, which caused the water around him to explosively burst outwards.

The water from the explosion didn't simply just disappear afterwards, however. Thanks to getting the angle _just_ right on that slice, Oshawott had managed to make the bottom-half of the exploding water freeze solid, creating a large bowl which soon filled up with the water from the top half of the explosion.

After a few seconds, Oshawott surfaced from below the newly-formed pool and posed, causing a little bit of water to gush from his paws as he did so. Immediately afterwards, the crowd gave a standing ovation as the spotlights focused on the star of the show.

Heh, that one was sure to have impressed the ladies! Well, not romantically of course, considering that he was still parading around as a girl... though Oshawott was quick to reassure himself that if he wasn't pretending, they would be all asking for kisses and hugs in no time flat! As it stood, he would have to accept their hero worshipping instead.

...Man, he would've _so_ gotten '_the look_' from Snivy if she had caught him saying any of that out loud. She was such a killjoy at times, as cool, funny and witty as she was. It was almost as if she didn't want the otter to succeed in his quest for love! Oshawott only wished he knew why she always acted that way...

Well, at least Snivy's bad attitude saved Oshawott the trouble of trying to ask her for a date, anyway. If Oshawott ever tried doing that with _her_, he would've been rejected so fast that his head would've spun! Quite like the day Snivy joined the team, in fact. The otter had never been shot down so quickly in his life until that day.

Speaking of being shot down, after a quick glance towards his team, Oshawott noticed that, save for Ash, none of his pals were paying him any attention again! What the heck!? What could they be talking about that was _so_ much more important than him being awesome!?

Oshawott huffed. Well, whatever! He had a whole crowd of fans down below, so he didn't need the support of those jerks!

As Oshawott turned back to wave towards the audience, he noticed that they were all wearing weird white and blue clothes. Heck, the clothes almost sorta looked like... In fact, could it have been...!?

The otter could see people and pokémon wearing Oshawott hats and shirts, holding Oshawott mugs and dolls, and heck, some were even holding fairly useless trinkets with his face painted on them.

Oshawott stared in amazement for a few seconds before smiling widely. That was... so _awesome_! He had always wanted to get his handsome, manly face on some merchandise, and now everyone in the audience had some! This must have been the 'Osha-branded gear' that the host had been talking about earlier. He hadn't understood what she'd meant at the time, but he certainly did now!

Then again, all of the Oshawott-based clothes had that stupid pink flower printed on them, meaning that they were supporting his female facade more than him... but that was fine with him. If he could forgo flirting with all of the pretty ladies from earlier in the competition, he was sure he could ignore the temptation of trying to get some accurate merchandise as well. Keeping his masculine image hidden behind his alter-ego was way, way more important.

After a small while, the lights fully came back on, allowing Oshawott to notice something else that was interesting about the crowd. Many people and pokémon were holding large signs with messages on them!

Oshawott smiled again. He loved extra fan support! As the host continued to praise him (something that Oshawott also appreciated), the otter decided to read a few of the crowd's signs in the meantime.

* * *

'Oshawott's the best!'

'Osha's #1!'

'You're winner!'

'gr8 fi8 m8, 8/8'

'Even Arceus isn't as legendary as you!'

* * *

Oshawott's cheeks reddened. Wow, his fans were so praising! He was such a lucky otter~

Eager to see more, he continued reading.

* * *

'2hot 4us!'

'We love you!'

'Your the cutest!'

'Date me! ...Please?'

'You used Attract on my heart!'

* * *

Oshawott rose an eyebrow. Huh, maybe a little too praising...

After a few seconds, the otter shrugged. Well, it was understandable. His disguise was probably so good that even the boys in the crowd were starting to fall for it!

It was pretty funny, actually. He, the suave Oshawott, was even starting to impress everyone from his own gender. He didn't want to return their feelings, obviously, but it amused him all the same. Especially since the fans holding these signs could easily have been girls, if Oshawott were allowed to go into the contest without a disguise.

Chuckling to himself, the otter continued to read the signs.

* * *

'Marry me!'

'We were made for each other!'

'Have my trainer's phone number!'

'You and me, baby, we ain't nothing but mammals. I think.'

'Be mai waifu!'

* * *

Oshawott started shuddering a little. O-okay, this was starting to get a little disturbing. Why were there so many people with these flirty signs?

Also, why were the messages getting creepier? Even Oshawott wouldn't go that far when flirting! …Usually.

Cautiously, the otter continued reading onwards. However, he soon regretted it...

* * *

'Have my babies!'

'Let's mating!'

'( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)'

'Take ur shell off!'

'I'm not even a pokemon and I'd still tap dat'

* * *

Oshawott's stomach felt like it was tightening into a tiny knot. Just where was everyone getting these signs from? And why were they being allowed to just wave them around all willy-nilly like that? Did they have no decency in this place!?

Taking many deep breaths, Oshawott looked away from the crowd and sank downwards beneath the water, as if to hide from the prying eyes of his many disturbing fans. He was done reading for the day.

As he glanced downwards towards Dawn, however, he saw something that made his blood run cold.

Piplup was happily jumping up and down on his trainer's shoulder while wearing a bobble hat. It wasn't just any bobble hat, though.

It was an Oshawott bobble hat.

...

..._**He knew.**_

Oshawott's pupils shrank. If that penguin knew, then... then what if...

The otter shook his head hard. There was no way everyone else was in on Oshawott's secret too... right? T-they loved him, d-didn't they?

Still hiding behind the transparent bowl, Oshawott slowly looked down towards the audience one more time. He didn't see them cheering, or applauding anymore, however. They were laughing. The hundreds of spectators down there were all laughing at him and how girly he was.

Those signs from before weren't sincere. None of their praise was. It was all a facade! They were all taunting him!

Everyone in the audience had known about his real gender, and they were all just playing along this whole time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike him when he and his masculinity were at their most vulnerable.

Tears stung at the otter's eyes. He thought he had fame and popularity, but instead, all he had was mockery...

...Oshawott shook his tears away. No! He refused to believe this! He had a super loyal fanbase! H-he was king of the contest hall! Well, queen. Er, q-queen-king! Gah, this was making his head hurt so much...!

Desperate for reassurance, he looked towards his friends. He wanted some comfort, any kind of comfort to make his heart stop feeling like it was being kicked repeatedly.

However, he got none. His friends were still talking to each other, and Ash was looking towards the crowd, as if to approve of their taunting.

Those jerks! Didn't they care about how the otter was becoming a laughing stock!?

...None of them cared. Not even his trainer, or his best friend.

Shivering, Oshawott held his legs close to his body. He was alone.

While he shuddered, he could see the audience through the bowl. He gasped as he realized that they were coming closer.

As they swept across the darkened arena, he could see that they didn't look human or pokémon-like to him anymore. The only things Oshawott could make out were shadows. Shadows with faces of pure malice on them.

Like a sea of black, pulsating energy, they began scaling the icy pillar that Oshawott's bowl resided on. The otter wanted to swim away, or get ready to defend himself, or even just simply scream... but he couldn't. His entire body felt like it was frozen in place.

He was an easy target.

As they climbed into the bowl, Oshawott could hear taunting laughter coming from the dark, shapeless creatures. He could do nothing but stare into their glowing red eyes as they descended onto him like shadows, clutching at him with their horrible claws.

Once within reach, they began to slowly engulf him. Helpless, he had no choice but to succumb to the endless darkness as his body went numb and his mind went blank...

...

...Also, his feet felt cold.

* * *

Snivy couldn't bloody believe this. What was wrong with that plonker now? He didn't hurt himself, did he?

While running towards the pillar, Snivy looked up to see that Oshawott was sporting a very peculiar face. He was too far away for any details, but even from this distance, Snivy could easily say that she had never seen him make that one before...

The snake grumbled. Trust Oshawott to make her worried sick out of nowhere...

Wasting no time, she sprinted over towards the foot of the pillar, where Buneary was worriedly watching the otter above them.

"[Buneary, what happened?]" Snivy asked, catching the rabbit's attention.

"[Oh, er, I-I dunno! I thought she was just finishing her routine, so I wasn't watching for a second. I didn't know there was anything wrong until the audience started freaking out,]" Buneary replied, looking flustered. "[O-oh no, I didn't hurt her by accident, did I?]"

Snivy looked up at the bowl. "[I'm not sure...]"

Hearing Buneary whimper to herself, Snivy sighed. "[Whatever it was, though, I'm sure it wasn't your fault, so don't worry.]" The last thing she wanted was for Pikachu to start worrying about his crush, too.

She quietened down. "[O-okay...]"

Snivy faced the rabbit again. "[Can you reach hi- um, her with Bounce?]"

Buneary appeared thoughtful for a second before shaking her head. "[I... don't think so. I can only go a little more than halfway.]" She looked saddened. "[Sorry...]"

Snivy groaned inwardly, but otherwise kept a straight face. Bugger, this was going to be harder than she thought...

After a few seconds of thought, Snivy nodded and turned towards Buneary again. "[Can you bounce me up there?]"

"[I... think I can, yeah,]" she responded.

"[Good. In that case, I want you to give me a leg-up. I'm going to Vine Whip her free.]"

"[Oh, er, sure!]" Buneary replied, before looking concerned. "[Um, can you reach her, though?]"

...Snivy exhaled sharply. She had a point. Snivy needed to be close in order to shatter the ice properly, or else it'd be a waste of time. Something that Wott didn't have a lot of at the moment.

Unable to answer Buneary's question, Snivy closed her eyes and pondered silently. There had to be a way to get him out of there safely...

"[Er, should I try breaking the tower down?]" Buneary asked. "[Oh, or maybe a flier could help! There's one in my team!]"

Eyes still closed, Snivy shook her head. "[There's a chance Oshawott could fall and break her neck if you did that, and, unless there's a pelipper in the crowd, any flying-types would have a job fishing her out of that bowl without freezing in the process. I suspect that's why nobody's tried that, yet.]"

Buneary's standing ear drooped. "[Oh, yeah. Fudge...]"

Snivy continued to think of a solution. After a small while, her eyes opened as she thought of one.

She quickly informed Buneary of the plan, which made the rabbit smile. "[Oh, yeah, I can do that! Hop on!]"

Snivy nodded and climbed onto the rabbit's back. If Wott were here, Snivy was sure that he would have made some sort of inappropriate comment about this. The silly plonker...

After a few experimental hops, Buneary yelled, "[Bounce!]" and then jumped high into the air near the large pillar, with Snivy in tow.

As they were ascending, something suddenly occurred to the snake. "[Um, Buneary?]"

"[Yeah?]"

Snivy looked at the quickly shrinking floor below them with concern. "[You okay to land properly?]"

"[Absolutely! Bounce lets me land safely from high heights!]"

Snivy breathed a sigh of relief. "[Okay, good. Just checking...]"

Not too long afterwards, Buneary's upwards momentum began to slow, meaning that it was time to put the plan into action.

Snivy quickly slithered onto the rabbit's head, making sure to position herself onto Buneary's rolled-up ear.

Happy with the positioning, Snivy yelled, "[Buneary, use Dizzy Punch, now!]"

Almost instantly, the rabbit's coiled ear started glowing before bucking upwards, launching Snivy high into the air like a spring.

Afterwards, as Buneary started to fall, the rabbit followed Snivy's earlier instructions by shooting her Ice Beam towards the pillar, creating a make-shift stairway that lead towards the foot of the bowl.

Soon after, Snivy landed onto the icy platform. However, the second she did so, she shrieked in pain. "[_Reshiram's mother, that's bloody cold!_ Ughh...]"

Gritting her teeth, she climbed up the frozen stairway regardless. If it would save that silly otter's life, then it was worth putting up with the searing pain in her feet.

Within seconds (which admittedly felt more like hours to the snake), Snivy made her way to the underside of the bowl that Oshawott resided in. As she prepared to use Leaf Blade to break him free, however, she paused, realising that smashing this thing would douse her in what may as well have been a large bucket of icy water. It would be just like taking an ice-type attack to the face.

...Snivy closed her eyes and sighed before charging her Leaf Blade. This was going to be just bloody wonderful...

Once her tail's leaf glowed green, she spun around once and struck the bowl, causing the ice to crack open upon impact. As expected, freezing cold water poured out of the container's new opening and slammed into Snivy.

To say that it was chilly would have been the understatement of the century. Snivy could feel almost every chloroplast in her body turn into an icicle at once. Thankfully, at the very least, the surge of water hadn't caused Snivy to fall off of the icy platform, although death was almost welcomed at this point.

Enduring the bitter coldness, Snivy reached upwards with both arms in an attempt to catch Oshawott, as the stream carried him out of the bowl. Before too long, something heavy and furry landed into the snake's arms.

"[G-g-gotcha,]" Snivy said triumphantly through chattering teeth. Afterwards, much to her delight, she stepped out of the pouring water.

Snivy ignored the crowd's cheers as she looked at the otter in her arms. It didn't take a genius to know that he was looking very poorly indeed... but he was alive and even conscious, thank the legends.

It was odd, though. Snivy expected him to have clenched teeth, or to be shuddering violently. Much like her.

What she didn't expect was a very wall-eyed-looking Oshawott with an abnormally large smile on his lips. Other than that, however, he seemed perfectly fine.

"[W-W-Wott, are y-you okay?]" Snivy asked.

Oshawott said nothing in response.

Before Snivy could ask again, however, the otter slowly opened his mouth and, in a feminine voice, yelled, "[..._I'm really feeling it!_]"

Snivy tilted her head. Was he making fun of her accent? "[...Y-y-you what?]"

"[It's okay, Paula! I'm a Mr. Saturn! BOING, ZOOM ZOOM! DAKOTA~]"

...Oh dear lord, he'd lost his marbles.

"[Nippon banzai! Now, prease reave!]" Oshawott spouted incoherently.

Snivy sighed softly and held him closer. "[Oh, y-you silly p-plonker... What have you d-done to yourself n-now?]"

"[Ohhh, banana~!]"

After staying like this for a little while, Snivy made her way down the stairway while holding Oshawott. At the end of it, she signaled for Buneary to jump up and catch the both of them as they jumped down. Seconds later, the rabbit sprang upwards, allowing Snivy to take the leap with the otter in tow.

As they landed into her arms, Snivy was half-afraid that the weight would be too much for Buneary to handle. Thankfully, the rabbit was stronger than she looked, so she managed to hold onto the both of them well enough, despite how ridiculous they must have all looked.

Due to holding Oshawott's warm body and being wrapped in Buneary's fur, Snivy felt a lot less cold once they landed on the ground, meaning that her teeth had finally stopped chattering. However, her skin still felt like it was cold enough to kill a dragon-type on contact, so it wasn't saying much. She really hoped that the shivering would stop soon…

As Snivy and Oshawott left Buneary's arms, the otter began spouting gibberish again. "[No, Pikachu, you silly goose! That's not how you open a Magnemarmite Gate!]"

Buneary's eyes widened. "[P-Pikachu? What...?]"

"[_A_ pikachu,]" Snivy corrected, slowly placing Oshawott on the ground. "[In fact, most likely the female one on our team.]" She looked over at her group as she said this, and in the process, noticed that Ash, Pikachu and Leavanny were all being swamped with questions from news reporters and irate spectators.

Buneary made an 'O' shape with her mouth and dropped the subject. "[Um, so what's wrong with her? She looks a bit... off-ish.]"

Snivy shrugged. "[I'm not sure what's happened to her, but whatever it was...]"

"[SQUAWK! No dinner for you, Flicky! Quack _QUACK_!]" Oshawott interrupted.

"[...has driven her completely bonkers, as you can see,]" Snivy finished.

"[Oh man...]" Buneary replied, giving the otter a look of pity.

Snivy tried to extend a few vines to carry Oshawott back to the group. However, due to numbness, they could only grow for a few inches before limply hanging to her sides. This day was just getting better and better...

"[Bollocks...]" Snivy groaned, retracting the useless vines.

"[W-what's up?]" Buneary asked.

"[I'm too cold for my vines to work properly.]"

"[Oh, d'you want my vest?]" Buneary asked, slipping her jacket off and offering it to Snivy. "[That might warm you up.]"

The snake smirked. "[Heh, thanks, but no thanks. I'll manage.]"

"[Aww, okay then,]" Buneary said, putting the jacket back on. "[Well, is there any other way I could help ya?]"

Snivy smiled. Buneary was so willing to be helpful, it seemed. It reminded the snake of her story about the 'overly peppy pokémon'. Snivy sincerely hoped that Pikachu wouldn't let this rabbit down. She didn't want to see _that_ happen again…

…She shuddered, and not just due to the cold this time. She didn't want to think about _that_ right now.

Noticing that she hadn't given Buneary an answer yet, Snivy nodded. "[Actually, if you wouldn't mind, I'll need a hand in taking this nutter back over there,]" she said, sticking a thumb in Ash's general direction. "[She's heavier than she looks…]"

"[Oh, yeah, sure thing!]" Buneary said, smiling.

Snivy smiled back. "[Thanks.]"

Wasting no time, Snivy held the otter by his feet whilst Buneary went for his head. Together, they lifted him up and began towards Ash's side of the hall.

However, they didn't get very far before Oshawott opened his mouth again. "[I don't care about Snevy, I care about Fluttershweetheart!]"

Snivy's nose crinkled. That bloody idiot had better get well again, soon…

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Finished:** 09/11 (November)/2014

**Derp count:** 5,449

**VGS2's pointless hurps:** _Oh god!_ Rebirth's out, you guys! Guess I'm gonna have to cancel the fic, due to being permanently busy for the rest of my natural-born life.

Okay, not really, but hey. Next chappie may take a little while, is all I'm sayin'. XP

Other than that, what's this news got to do with Girl Troubles? I dunno, man. I guess when you angle your eyes right, Hydro Pump is basically Brimstone, but less gory. So yeah, it's totally related!

Also, fun fact, everyone! I recently learned that ravengal made a one-shot called Girl Troubles, and it's taken me until recently to find out. Derp!

Welp, time to come up with a sub-title, I guess. I have one prepared, actually, but it's a vague spoiler, so it'll have to wait until chappie 7-8, or something. So until then, prepare your "VGS2 ripped off ravengal, 0/10, unsubbed 4evur" reviews, everyone!

**Shameless Promotion: **Guys, go and read/review the fic called 'Pika and Bun's One-shot Wonders' by ravengal, before she comes over and stabs me in my sleep with a hot cross bun for stealing her titles. Again.

It's a fun little fic that has a large collection of different short stories, all of which have large amounts of Pikachu x Buneary as their main draw. They even kiss in one of the shorts, and have borderline-erotic ketchup adventures in another. That's gotta be worth something, right?

Alright, and with that, I'm off. Tata for n- …Wait. ravengal has just informed me that MewLover54 has done the whole 'crazy jibberjabber-spouting Oshawott' thing already, meaning that I've unintentionally ripped off at least two people with one fic. Buggggerrrr…!

**Shameless Promotion #2:** Guys, go and read/review Critical Condition by MewLover54 before he… well, I actually don't know what he's capable of, but he might do it!

Admittedly, I've never read it (sorry, ML54!), but to the best of my knowledge, it's a fun fic where Oshawott gets into a tragic incident that leaves him hospitalised, leaving Snivy to help take care of him.

Eventually, they make whoopie. That might be a spoiler I just done spoiled, but considering that it's an M-rated fic with Romance in it, I think that's a given. Either way, even if you're not into lemons, I'd still suggest giving it a looksie. Sounds good, from what ravengal's mentioned! Also, it has a sequel, so you'll have plenty to read!

Alright, and now that I'm done trying not to get lynched on ff. net, it's time for me to go now. Once again, thanks for the reviews and support, everyone (especially to you, ravengal, for beta-reading), and tata for now! c:

* * *

**Next up:** Whoops, I accidentally the otter


End file.
